# Spotted Sandpiper

*Actitis macularius*

Unlike most birds, Spotted Sandpipers exhibit polyandry; females often defend territories and mate with multiple males, who then perform the bulk of the parental care.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Actitis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Freshwater and saltwater shorelines, including riverbanks, lake edges, and estuaries.
- **Diet:** Invertebrates such as flies, beetles, dragonflies, crustaceans, and small mollusks.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, South America
- **Size:** 18-20 cm length, 37-40 cm wingspan
- **Lifespan:** 8-12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss due to shoreline development, pesticide runoff, and predation by domestic cats.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and skittish. Maintain a distance of at least 20 feet to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If you find an injured bird, contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to keep it as a pet.

## About

The spotted sandpiper ( Actitis macularius ) is a small shorebird, 18–20 cm (7.1–7.9 in) long. The genus name Actitis is from Ancient Greek aktites , "coast-dweller", derived from akte , "coast", and macularius is Latin from macula , "spot".

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/cc799503-fa03-4a2c-8fb6-892521847f88
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/72458
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actitis macularius
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/198183635/medium.jpg (Blake Ross, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.