Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 11–12.6 in
28–32 cm - Wingspan
- 18.5 in
47 cm - Weight
- 3.4–8 oz
97–226 g
Other Names
- Bartramian Sandpiper, Upland Plover (English)
- Maubèche des champs (French)
- Batitú, Zarapito ganga (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Upland Sandpiper begins southward migration unusually early, beginning in mid-July. It spends up to eight months of the year in its winter home in South America, during the austral summer.
- In several northeastern states, the majority of nesting Upland Sandpipers live on the grounds of airports.
- Upland Sandpiper pairs scrape out multiple depressions in the ground, but use only one for their actual nest.
Habitat
Grassland
Native prairie and other dry grasslands, including airports and some croplands.
Food
Insects
Mostly insects, including weevils and other beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets. Also some weed seeds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–7 eggs
- Egg Description
- Buff with dark spotting.
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and active, capable of leaving nest and feeding themselves almost immediately after hatching.
Nest Description
Scrape in the ground; may be completely unlined, or built up with leaves and twigs.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Feeds while walking along the ground.
Conservation
Least Concern
Once very abundant and widespread within its range, the Upland Sandpiper is now uncommon, and continues to show alarming population declines. The species was once prized as a delicacy, both for its flesh and its eggs; hunting continued until well after the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty in 1918. Hunting in the West Indies remains a conservation concern. Conversion of native grasslands to croplands in both North and South America has also caused populations to fall.
Credits
- Houston, C. S., and D. E. Bowen, Jr. 2001. Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). In The Birds of North America, No. 580 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.