Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.5–9.1 in
19–23 cm - Weight
- 1.1–2.3 oz
31–65 g
Other Names
- Chevalier solitaire (French)
- Chorlito solitario (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Although the Solitary Sandpiper was first described by ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1813, its nest was not discovered until 1903. Until that time, eggs and young of the Spotted Sandpiper were misidentified as those of the Solitary Sandpiper.
- The Solitary Sandpiper lays its eggs in the tree nests of several different song birds, particularly those of the American Robin, Rusty Blackbird, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Jay, and Cedar Waxwing.
- Of the world's 85 sandpiper species, only the Solitary Sandpiper and the Green Sandpiper of Eurasia routinely lay eggs in tree nests instead of on the ground.
Habitat
Marsh
Breeds in taiga, nesting in trees in deserted songbird nests. In migration and winter found along freshwater ponds, stream edges, temporary pools, flooded ditches and fields, more commonly in wooded regions, less frequently on mudflats and open marshes.
Food
Insects
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and active, able to leave nest as soon as down dries.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Probing
Conservation
Least Concern
Solitary Sandpiper are common, but populations appear to have declined between 1966 and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. A 2012 study estimates a North American population of 189,000 birds. Solitary Sandpiper is not on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List.
Credits
- Moskoff, W. 1995. Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria). In The Birds of North America, No. 156 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington.
- Andres, B.A., P.A. Smith, R.I.G. Morrison, C.L. Gratto-Trevor, S.C. Brown, and C.A. Friis. 2012. Population estimates of North American Shorebirds, 2012. Wader Study Group Bulletin 119:178–194. Available from the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan website.
- North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee. 2014. State of the Birds 2014 Report. U.S. Department of Interior, Washington, DC.
- USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. 2014. North American Breeding Bird Survey 1966–2014 Analysis.