Semipalmated Sandpiper

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Identification

A very small, compact sandpiper with black legs, a short-to-moderate straight dark bill, and gray-brown upperparts. Breeding birds show modest streaking on the breast and warmer patterning above; juveniles are neatly scaled. The species is named for the small amount of webbing between the toes, a feature usually difficult to see in the field. Bill length varies geographically, so identification should rely on a combination of structure, plumage, and behavior.

Similar Species

Western Sandpiper is the primary confusion species. Western generally has a longer, finer bill that often droops at the tip, more rufous in the scapulars in breeding plumage, and a slightly more attenuated shape; Semipalmated usually looks more compact and blunt-billed. Least Sandpiper is smaller with yellowish legs. Photographs that clearly show leg color, bill shape, scapular pattern, and body proportions are most useful.

Natural History

Semipalmated Sandpipers feed rapidly on exposed mud and in very shallow water, taking tiny crustaceans, insects, worms, mollusks, and other invertebrates. During migration they can form enormous flocks at rich staging areas, where individuals must accumulate fat quickly for long flights. They breed on Arctic tundra and migrate primarily to coastal and wetland wintering areas in northern South America.

Habitat & Distribution

Breeds across the North American Arctic from Alaska east through northern Canada. During migration it uses mudflats, tidal flats, shallow freshwater wetlands, lake margins, and flooded fields, with several major staging areas supporting very large concentrations. Most winter along the coasts of northern and northeastern South America, with smaller numbers elsewhere in the Americas.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (NT) • Population trend: Decreasing

Semipalmated Sandpiper is Near Threatened globally. Long-term declines, especially in parts of the eastern population, have focused attention on the vulnerability of major migration staging and wintering sites. Habitat loss and degradation, disturbance, hunting in parts of the nonbreeding range, and changes in food resources and Arctic conditions can affect survival across its long migration system.

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