General

Upland Sandpiper: Large sandpiper with dark-spotted, brown upperparts and black rump. Chin, neck, and throat are white, breast and sides are streaked with dark chevrons, and belly is white. Head has a dark cap and white eye-rings. Bill is short, thin, olive-brown, and slightly decurved at tip. Head is relatively small, while neck and legs are relatively long. Tail is wedge-shaped with dark center and barred edges visible in flight. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has very pale head.

Range and Habitat

Upland Sandpiper: Breeds from central Maine west through Canada to southern Alaska; southeast to northern Utah, northwestern Oklahoma, and northern Texas, and east to central Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland. Spends winters in South America from southern Brazil to south-central Argentina. Preferred habitats include large fallow fields, pastures, and grassy areas.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"pulip pulip"

Interesting Facts

 The Upland Sandpiper is the "shorebird of the prairie". While most of its relatives are never found far from water, this species has made itself at home on the grasslands.

 Older names are the Upland Plover and Bartram's Sandpiper. The genus name and the old common name Bartram's Sandpiper commemorate the American naturalist William Bartram.

 Once abundant in the Great Plains, it has undergone steady population declines since the mid-19th century, because of hunting and loss of habitat.

 A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a "bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.

Author

Gary Owen Dick