sandpiper
1. Bird Name
English name: Sandpiper
Scientific (Latin) name: Scolopacidae
2. Appearance
Sandpipers sport a pared-down color palette of subdued browns, whites, and greys, perfect for camouflaging within their natural habitats. Reminiscent of the beach sands they frequent, they often display banded patterns or speckles on their upper bodies. The underparts are typically white or in lighter shades. They have long, thin legs perfect for wading, and a unique, slim, and pointed bill for digging in the sand or mud in search of food. Some species have bills that curve slightly downwards, while others have straight ones. Eye color may vary from species to species but tints of brown and black are common. For most sandpipers, males and females share similar visual traits, making it hard to distinguish them based on physical appearance alone.
3. Size
Sandpipers’ length ranges from small to medium. A general span is about 18-23 cm (7-9 inches). Their wingspan is roughly 42-50 cm (16.5-19.7 inches), and their weight ranges from 30-60 grams.
4. Habitat & Distribution
Sandpipers have almost global distribution, though they are absent from the coldest polar regions and some tropical rainforests. They are most seen along coasts, in wetlands, near lakes and rivers, and sometimes even in deserts or alpine regions. They famously adapt to a large range of habitats, making them one of the most ubiquitous bird families.
5. Interesting Facts
Several species of sandpipers are champion travelers, migrating across continents, some even covering over 30,000 km in a year. The breeding habits of sandpipers are unique – in certain species, the males incubate the eggs and look after the chicks, allowing female sandpipers to mate with multiple partners across the breeding season. ‘Piping’ is a characteristic feature of their behavior when they fly up and down a coastline emitting a loud, high-pitched call.
6. Diet
Sandpipers are omnivores. Their typical diet consists of invertebrates – insects, crustaceans’, mollusks and worms that they dig out from sands or mudflat. Some species supplement their diet with seeds and berries.
7. Behavior & Sounds
In addition to their behavior in flight ‘piping’, sandpipers are known for their ‘sewing machine’ feeding behavior – rapidly bobbing their heads up and down while they probe for food. Their call or song is a rapid, soft trilling sound.
8. Conservation Status
While certain species are listed as endangered or vulnerable, on a whole, many sandpipers are of least concern according to the IUCN Red List. Specific concerns around habitat loss and global warming threaten their nesting grounds and migratory patterns, however.
9. Lifespan
In the wild, sandpipers live on average 10-15 years. Lifespan in captivity is not typically recorded since they are not common as domesticated birds.
10. Additional Notes
Local people often label sandpipers according to their environment, for example, calling them ‘Shorebirds’ in North America, highlighting their close relationship with water bodies. Despite being shy and hard to approach, they play a crucial role in controlling insect and small invertebrates populations in their habitats. They form an enchanting picture when seen in large flocks, a common sight along coasts and wetlands during migration.
