Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Scientific Name: Actitis hypoleucos

Malay Name: Kedidi-Kelicap Biasa

Chinese Name: 矶鹬

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.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 19-21 cm

Identification: Small, short-legged sandpiper; clean white underparts apart from brownish breast patch forming a "bib" (rather than a strip across the breast as in Green Sandpiper). Grey-tailed Tattler is longer-billed, larger, and longer-legged.

Similar looking species: Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler

Habitat: A wide range of waterbodies –including canals, drains, mudflats, reservoirs, and small ponds.

Behaviour/Ecology: Distinctive flight action consisting of sharp, stiff wing-beats. Often bobs tail up and down. Usually rather vocal, especially in flight.

Local Status: Very common migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Any area of suitable habitat, such as Sungei Buloh, Marina East, and in drains and canals across Singapore.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak week Sep 10-Sep 16
Early date 01 Jul 2010
Late date 03 Jun 2006
One of the most adaptable waders in Singapore, this species is often encountered in urban canals and small ponds in parks across the island.
Common Sandpiper at Seletar Dam. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Common Sandpiper at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Common Sandpiper at Marina East Drive. Photo credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Common Sandpiper)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Actitis hypoleucos. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693264A86678952.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., and Kirwan, G. M. (2020). Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.comsan.01

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Common Sandpiper. Retrieved on April 13, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/common-sandpiper.

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