From Opus

Photo by Jvhigbee

Actitis macularia

[edit] Identification

18-20cm

• Brown upperparts
• White below, spotted black
• White wing stripe
• Short yellow legs
• Orange bill with a black tip
  

Non-breeding birds do not have the spotted underparts.

[edit] Similar Species

Common Sandpiper

Juvenile
Photo by Marcel Gauthier
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, July 2004

[edit] Distribution

Breeds North America (Canada and the United States); winters to southern South America

A regular vagrant to Europe. There is thought to have been a breeding attempt in Scotland.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic

One subspecies (A. m. ravus) is recognised by some authorities^[2]

[edit] Habitat

Fresh water, ponds, streams, and other waterways, both inland and along coasts.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

They nest on the ground. Females may mate with more than one male, leaving incubation to them.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates, from the ground or in the water. They may also catch insects in flight.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Avibase
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
4. Wikipedia

[edit] External Links