Since naturalist have been keeping records of North American birds the Spotted Sandpiper has been both common and widespread. The bird has been able to adapt to changing conditions throughout its range and is still one of North America's most common breeding sandpiper. The habit of teetering or wagging the tail has mystified observers who have noted newly fledged Spotted Sandpipers, no more than balls of down, wagging their stubby tails. It is a habit which continues throughout the bird's life and for which no function has been established. Female Spotted Sandpipers have turned the tables on the males in many respects: they take charge in many mating activities and leave the care of the young mostly to the males. Female Spotted Sandpipers are able to store sperm for as long as one month and may lay eggs fertilized by as many as four males at a time.

Species Description:

Length: 7-8 inches (18-20 cm) Wingspan: 15-16 inches (37-40 cm)

Physical characteristics: The Spotted Sandpiper is a medium sized, somewhat leggy shorebird with a long dark bill and brownish or flesh-colored legs. The sexes are similar with a dark grayish or brown head sporting a bold white stripe which runs through the dark eye. A second dark stripe runs below the eye. The white breast is conspicuously dotted with rounded brown spots during the breeding season, but is a uniform white in fall and winter. The back of the bird is brownish with dark spots more visible during spring and summer. The flight of the Spotted Sandpiper uniquely alternates a few rapid wing beats with sailing while holding the stiffly bent wings downward. This aids identification, especially in winter.

Voice: The voice is a high pitched weet! or peet-weet, sometimes peet-weet-weet-weet-weet.

Breeding habitat:
The Spotted Sandpiper nests in a variety of habitats, including tundra, grasslands, woodlands, parks, and yards but always near water. The nest are built on the ground.

Mating system:
The female Spotted Sandpiper arrives at the nesting site before the male and establishes and defends her territory. The female has also proven to be the most active partner in courtship displays. The birds strut and call, occasionally spreading wings and tail in an attempt to interest the male. The female may lay eggs with more than one male during the season. The male usually incubates the eggs.

Nest:
The Spotted Sandpiper builds a nest of grass or twigs in a shallow depression among grasses or ground litter. Eggs Four eggs are generally laid. The eggs are buff colored with brown spots and blotches. The eggs generally require 20 days to incubate. Chick development The downy chicks are precocious. The male is responsible for the chicks after they hatch. Diet The Spotted Sandpiper forages along the shoreline mud for aquatic insects and invertebrates. The birds also hunt for terrestrial insects along roadsides and grassy areas.

Breeding: The Spotted Sandpiper's breeding range is the largest of all the North American sandpipers. The birds nest in Canada and Alaska all across the continent, though largely absent from the Southeastern US. May be a very rare breeder in western Tennessee.

Winter: The bird winters in Mexico, the West Indies, and South America, some birds remaining as far north as the gulf states westward to southern California.

Park: Uncommon, the Spotted Sandpiper visits Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its spring (April through May) and fall migrations (late July through beginning of October). Stupka (1963) cites several records, at least one of which is from within the park. The most recent record from Park Observations is from 1989 in Cades Cove, but this species is likely under-reported. The bird has been seen at high elevations along Newfound Gap Road and in other areas near water.

Park: Uncommon, the Spotted Sandpiper visits Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its spring (April through May) and fall migrations (late July through beginning of October). Stupka (1963) cites several records, at least one of which is from within the park. The most recent record from Park Observations is from 1989 in Cades Cove, but this species is likely under-reported. The bird has been seen at high elevations along Newfound Gap Road and in other areas near water.

References:

Bent, Arthur C. 1929. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part Two. Dover Publications, Inc., New York .

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds.

Esely, Jeff. 2002. Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). Mecklenburg County Division of Natural Resources.

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.

Nicholson, Charles P. 1997. Atlas of Breeding Birds of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press.

Peterson, Roger Tory. 1980. A Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston .

Potter, F. E., J. F. Parnell, and R. P. Teulings. 1990. Birds of the Carolinas . University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill .

Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . University of Tennessee Press.