Upland Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Bartramia
Conservation status: least_concern
The Upland Sandpiper is a gangly, long-necked shorebird with a small head and yellow legs that walks through grasslands with an upright posture quite unlike other sandpipers. Its distinctive whistled song and habit of perching on fence posts and rocks in open prairies make it easy to identify when present in its breeding grounds.
How To Identify
The Upland Sandpiper is a medium-sized shorebird characterized by its overall grayish plumage and slender build. Males often display striking rusty or rufous markings, particularly on the flanks and tail, distinguishing them from other similar sandpipers.
Habitat
It inhabits open grasslands, prairies, meadows, and sparse agricultural areas across North America, typically choosing dry upland terrain with short to medium grass cover.
Behaviour
The Upland Sandpiper is known for its distinctive courtship display, where males perform a hovering flight high above the grassland while producing a melodious, whistling song that carries across great distances.
Native Range
The upland sandpiper breeds from eastern Alaska south east of the Rocky Mountains through Montana to northern Oklahoma and then northeast to Pennsylvania New England and extreme southern Quebec and Ontario.
Did You Know?
Despite being a sandpiper, the Upland Sandpiper is one of the few members of its family that prefers grasslands and prairies rather than wetlands, earning it the nickname 'the grassland sandpiper.' Its long neck and upright posture give it an unusually elegant appearance compared to its shore-dwelling cousins.
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