Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Family: Sandpipers and Allies · Status: Very common migrant · Size: 19–21 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Extremely wide-ranging species; breeds from western Europe to the Russian Far East; winters in tropical Africa across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to Australia. East Asian birds migrate through the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Hong Kong, and the Thai-Malay Peninsula.

Identification

Small, short-legged sandpiper. Shows brown upperparts with scattered dark bars and clean white underparts, apart from brownish breast patches forming a "bib". In flight, shows a dark rump and white wingbar. Green Sandpiper has a white rump in flight (not dark), longer legs, and a broader breast band rather than discrete patches. Grey-tailed Tattler is longer and heavier-billed, larger, and longer-legged. Wood Sandpiper is longer-necked and longer-legged, with spotted upperparts and a prominent supercilium.

Habitat

Waterbodies of all kinds: canals, drains, mudflats, reservoirs, and ponds; also rocky or sandy shores, estuaries, and tidal creeks in mangroves.

Behaviour

Distinctive flight action with sharp, stiff wing-beats. Often bobs tail up and down. Usually vocal, especially in flight. Mostly forages singly.