ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - White-rumped Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Photo by Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery

There are five "peep" sandpipers: the semipalmated, the Western, least, white-rumped, and Baird's. This is a heavy hitter of the migratory bird world; white-rumped sandpipers winter in South America -- over 6,000 miles south of Ohio!

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White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

At-a-Glance

• Incubation: 21-22 days

• Clutch Size: 4 eggs

• Young Fledge: 16-17 days after hatching

• Typical Foods: aquatic invertebrates and plant matter

Description
White-rumped sandpipers look most similar to Baird's sandpiper in that both have long wings projecting beyond the tail, but the Baird's is much browner overall and usually in a different habitat niche.

Habitat and Habits
This sandpiper can be found in mudflats and typically forages at water's edge or in shallow water. They make high-pitched, squeaky calls that are distinctive, but easily lost among the calls of louder shorebirds.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Breeding takes place in the Arctic tundra of northern Canada and Alaska. Nests are depressions in the ground.