Feeds mainly on small invertebrates such as midges and mayflies. A spotted sandpiper pair reverses the traditional roles found in most other bird species in a number of interesting ways. Nesting.--The breeding range of the spotted sandpiper, extending over a vast area of diversified land, ranging in altitude from sea-level to 14,000 feet, and including both arid and well-watered country, makes necessary in the bird a wide degree of adaptability in the choice of its nesting site. About four pink eggs are laid, which are incubated by the male. The Spotted Sandpiper can be characterized as a "pioneering species" that quickly and frequently colonizes new sites, emigrates in response to reproductive failure, breeds at an early age, lives a relatively short time (breeding females live an average of only 3.7 years), lays many eggs per female per year, and has relatively low nest success. Spotted Sandpipers use a rapid string of about 10 weet calls in the same manner as a song, for courtship and to communicate between pairs.. Calls. Spotted sandpipers nest on the ground. The Spotted Sandpiperâs sparse distribution, coupled with the limitations of the BBS survey method in monitoring shoreline nesting birds, means that statistical analyses of population trends are not as robust as they are for many landbirds that nest in grasslands and forests. SPOTTED SANDPIPER â (Actitis macularius) â (See images below) ... NESTING: There is an apparent role reversal between the sexes when choosing the territory, nesting and feeding the chicks. The female lays eggs in a nest built on the ground. During breeding season, the females can lay as many as four separate clutches of eggs conceived by four seperate males. Songs. When alarmed, Spotted Sandpipers may give a pair of weet notes or, if warning chicks, make a metallic spink.Walking toward the nest, they make a simple pink sound, often three times in a row. Other species breed with a single female per season and help her care for the brood. Spotted sandpiper females are aggressively territorial, not the males. The nest is a scrape on the ground and lined with loose plant material. https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/spotted-sandpiper They lay 3 to 4 eggs in the nest, and only the male Spotted Sandpiper will keep the eggs warm. The Spotted Sandpiper has the ability to fly straight up out of the water and is one of the few shorebirds that will dive into the water to escape from predators. The female spotted sandpiper, for instance, migrates early to arrive at a potential nesting site before the male. Most Sandpipers nest on the ground, and nest structure varies from a simple dent in the sand to a pebble-lined nest. We identified predators of Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) nests before and after the establishment of a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) colony on an island in north-central Minnesota. During each summer breeding season, females may mate with and lay clutches for more than one male, leaving incubation to them. Wings have white stripes visible in flight. Spotted Sandpiper: This medium-sized sandpiper has olive-brown upperparts, white underparts with bold black spots, white eyebrow, barred tail and dull yellow legs. Some have intricate breeding rituals, and some breed with multiple females. The spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius) is a small shorebird, 18â20 cm (7.1â7.9 in) long. She is the one that establishes the territory by ⦠Low direct flight; wings flap in shallow arcs, producing clipped, stiff wing beats on drooping wings. Sandpiper reproduction varies drastically from species to species. Lined with loose plant material, and some breed with a single female per season help... 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