Common Sandpiper: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Sergey Pisarevskiy · CC BY-NC-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Actitis hypoleucos
- Family
- Sandpipers and Allies
- Size
- About 20 cm
- Habitat
- Riverbanks, lake shores and harbours during migration
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania
The key marks
Brown above and white below, with a white wedge rising in front of the wing; bobs its rear end constantly and flies low over the water on stiff, flickering wings. Green Sandpiper is darker with a bright white rump.
Voice
A high, piping 'swee-wee-wee' as it flies off.
Good to know
It never stops teetering, even while standing still on a rock.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Green Sandpiper. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in riverbanks, lake shores and harbours during migration. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.