Solitary Sandpiper

Appearance:

Length: 7.5-9.1 in
Weight: 1.1-2.3 oz
Wingspan: 21.6-22.4 in

Dark olive-brown above with a white eyering; pale below. In breeding plumage, the head and breast show dark stippling and the upperparts are neatly spotted with white. In nonbreeding plumage the back is mostly unspotted and the breast is washed with brown. The legs are olive. Dark underwings contrast sharply with white belly in flight.

Habitat:

Solitary Sandpipers are common in spring, late summer, and fall. And can be found in wooded swamps, river edges, bogs, lakes, ponds, ditches, pastures, rice fields, and wet meadows.

Behavior:

Solitary Sandpipers forage in small freshwater wetlands, often in wooded environments, where they walk slowly through shallow water, frequently bobbing the rear of the body. When startled, they fly a short distance, call, and land, often keeping the wings raised above the body momentarily after landing.