Common Sandpiper
(Actitis hypoleucos)
The common sandpiper has ants in its pants. This neat little wader famously finds it difficult to stand still and is known for its habit of constantly bobbing up and down. Ornithologists call it “teetering”.
It breeds on our River Endrick, with three territories between Balfron bridge and the foot of Drumtian Road at Killearn. Individuals migrate to Scotland in spring and spend the summer here before heading off to winter in southern England, Europe or even North Africa.
Fascinating fact:
There are an estimated 15,000 breeding pairs of common sandpipers in the UK.
Common sandpipers have a distinctive, three-note call and a fluttering flight with stiff, bowed wings. They are 19-21cm long with a wingspan of 32-35cm and weigh 40g to 60g. They have brown upper bodies, white underparts and green or yellow legs. They eat insects, worms and molluscs.
The sandpiper nests in vegetation at the water’s edge and the female typically lays four eggs in May or June. It generally lives for about eight years.
Did you know
The common sandpiper’s closest relative is the spotted sandpiper, which lives on the other side of the Atlantic in America. They look virtually identical but hardly ever meet.