Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
This is one of the only sandpiper species that nests in trees, repurposing the abandoned nests of songbirds like robins and blackbirds.
- Scientific name
- Tringa solitaria
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Tringa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Wooded swamps, muskegs, and the muddy edges of freshwater ponds within boreal forests.
- Diet
- Aquatic and terrestrial insects, small crustaceans, and mollusks.
- Range
- North America, Central America, South America
- Size
- Length: 18-23 cm; Wingspan: 50-59 cm
- Lifespan
- 3-9 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change affecting boreal breeding grounds and the drainage of stopover wetlands.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Maintain a distance of at least 15 meters to avoid interrupting its foraging behavior. If the bird begins bobbing its tail nervously, you are too close. No medical risk to humans.
The solitary sandpiper ( Tringa solitaria ) is a small shorebird. The genus name Tringa is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas , a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific solitaria is Latin for "solitary" from solus , "alone".
Photo: Pete Lypkie, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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