# 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.

- **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.

## About

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".

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f82831d9-a5b0-4adc-9797-0fb4e33cd9f1
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3875
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tringa solitaria
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/195481029/medium.jpg (Pete Lypkie, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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