Bird of the Month: Spotted Sandpiper

Wikimedia Commons

Spotted Sandpipers, herein referred to by their much more adorable birder pet name “Spotties,” are a ubiquitous, charming shorebird with a telltale skitter and tail bob. They are also polyandrous – meaning the females maintain territories and the males vie for their attention, incubate eggs, and raise the chicks. Let’s go, girls!

Spotted Sandpipers, or Spotties as they are affectionately called by birders, are the most widespread and abundant shorebird in North America. They winter in southern states and much of South America but fly north to a breeding range that spans across the entire continent, east to west, and from sites along the southern edge of the Arctic, south to states like North Carolina and Arizona. Luckily for us that includes our region.

According to Cornell's Birds of the World, Spotted Sandpipers have "colonized this broad range by capitalizing on generalist habits; i.e., individuals feed on a great variety of animal matter and occupy almost all habitats near water, everything from the shorelines of wild rivers and lakes to urban and agricultural ponds and pools."

Meaning you can find them just about anywhere. I have seen them in office parks that have a water feature, along creeks, and of course, they are a regular sight on the shores of Presque Isle.

They are a joy to watch as they skitter across the sand with tails that continuously bob up and down. That teetering tail is a great field mark to identify them. Adults in breeding plumage do indeed have spots on their white breasts and bellies along with brownish to olive gray mantles (tops). Both males and females are similar in plumage, but females usually have larger spots extending farther down the lower belly and they are typically bigger and heavier than males.

Why? Because their mating system is called polyandry – wherein the females have territories and attempt to acquire multiple mates rather than males doing all the work to attract females. Females have been known to fight for hours in a dispute over a male. The differences don't stop with mate selection either. Within polyandry, females mate and lay eggs with multiple males over the course of a breeding season, leaving males to incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

Despite some human views that females are the natural caregivers, polyandry is a system that works very well for the Spotted Sandpiper – perhaps that's why they are so widespread.

Besides, it's always fun to share this bit of information with others. When learning about it, a fiendishly mischievous grin usually washes across many women's faces.

One of the most adorable things you'll ever see is a day-old Spottie chick bobbing its downy tail as it makes its way into the world on unsteady legs. There is little chance of catching that this year, though, as most are grown now and some have already left for the south. But make a plan for next spring to seek out this common, but amazing – and unconventional – bird.

Mary Birdsong is the lead shorebird monitor for Erie Bird Observatory. Learn more at eriebirdobservatory.org. Mary can be reached at mbirdsong@eriereader.com