How to Identify a Solitary Sandpiper

What Does a Solitary Sandpiper Look Like?

Look for this brown-and-white sandpiper during migration. The solitary sandpiper is identifiable by its spotted brown back and wings, as well as its white belly. Its head and breast are flecked with brown and white, and it features a white eye-ring. The bill is long and pointed. Its brownish, olive green legs help distinguish it from other similar sandpipers and shorebirds whose legs are more yellow.

For a size comparison, this sandpiper is about the same size as an American robin.

During nonbreeding season, the bird lacks most of the spotting seen in warmer months, and its back and wings turn brown with smaller white specks.

“I saw this bird (above) hopping around on lily pads in a swampy area at Kensington Metropark in Michigan last August. I thought this was a greater yellowlegs, but sources show that bird with an upturned bill, and this one has a slightly downturned bill. What is it?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Philip Goode of Northville, Michigan.

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “Your first guess was close! Although it’s not a greater yellowlegs, it is a related bird, the solitary sandpiper. Smaller than either the greater or lesser yellowlegs, solitary sandpipers are also a little darker and have shorter, greener legs. The white ring around the eye is a good mark.

These birds live up to their name: Other kinds of sandpipers often fly around in flocks, but solitary sandpipers are usually seen one at a time. In August in Michigan, this bird would have been migrating south from breeding grounds in Canada.”

Range and Habitat

While the solitary sandpiper spends summer in Canada and winter in warmer climates, it reliably passes through the United States during migration season. At that time — and usually in the months of May and August — solitary sandpipers appear throughout the continental United States as they travel to their breeding grounds.

To locate a solitary sandpiper, look along ponds, streams, riverbanks, and in marshes. Unlike most sandpipers, it migrates alone. Interestingly, during migration these birds have appeared in untraditional locations such as football fields, cow pastures, and in cities.

Solitary Sandpiper Diet

These sandpipers typically eat insects, amphibians, and crustaceans. More specifically, they’ll eat beetles, spiders, grasshoppers and even small frogs. Hunting behavior includes plucking prey from the surface of the water and shaking one foot to stir up prey.

Nesting Habits

While many sandpipers are ground nesters, solitary sandpipers nest differently. These birds build their nests in trees, frequently repurposing old songbird nests for their own use. Songbird nests reused by solitary sandpipers include those belonging to American robins, cedar waxwings, and gray jays. The female solitary sandpiper lays a clutch of three to five eggs and has one brood per season.

Calls and Sounds

Males sing a series of high-pitched, whistling notes. Calls are a repeated weet-weet-weet.

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

About the Experts

Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.

Sources

• National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Solitary Sandpiper“
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Solitary Sandpiper: Life History“