Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularia

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia)

Thaimaçu, Pará, Brazil
April 2003

Just as it's good to see a Solitary Sandpiper on its own, its good to see a Spotted Sandpiper with spots. This is not always the case in South America since the spots are part of its breeding plumage and it is normally seen without spots during the northern winter.

However, this bird is on its migration back north and is well on its way to full breeding plumage. The spots on the underparts will become even more widespread, the bill will become orange to pink with a black tip and the legs may become pinker.

Out of breeding plumage, when the spots are not visible, the bird is constantly bobbing or "teetering" the rear part of its body. The white peak between the breast patches and the wing are also diagnostic as is the stiff-winged style of flight and the white wing-bar as seen in the second photo.

It nests on the ground, sometimes some way from water and it is a species which practices polyandry: the females mate with several males and lay several clutches of eggs. It starts moving south in June and when wintering in South America it is found on wetlands including rivers, river estuaries and beaches.

There are illustrations in HBW, Volume 3, Page 508; and Shorebirds, Plate 60.

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