Common sandpiper
| Common Sandpiper | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific Classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, is a small wader.
Adults have short yellowish legs and a bill with a pale base and dark tip. The body is greyish brown on top and white underneath. They are very similar to their closely related American counterpart, the slightly larger Spotted Sandpiper, A. macularia , in non-breeding plumage. Like that species, they have a distinctive stiff-winged flight low over the water.
Their breeding habitat is near fresh water across most of Europe and Asia. They nest on the ground.
They migrate to Africa, southern Asia and Australasia. These are not gregarious birds and are seldom seen in large flocks.
These birds forage on the ground or in water, picking up food by sight. They may also catch insects in flight. They eat insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates.