NCI 2025
    Groups
    Mammals Birds Amphibians Reptiles Petromyz' – Lampreys Sharks & rays 4 Myxini – Hagfishes Dipneusti – Lungfish Gastropoda – Snails & slugs Chilopoda – Centipedes Coelac' – Coelacanths Cephalopoda – Squids & octopuses Malacostraca – Malacostracans Merostomata – Horseshoe crabs Arachnida – Spiders & scorpions Bivalvia – Marine molluscs Diplopoda – Millipedes Pycnogonida – Sea spiders Animals Ray-finned fishes Holocep' – Chimaeras Insecta – Insects / bugs More Classes
    Filters

    Regions

    See AllSelect

    Habitat

    See AllSelect

    Upland sandpiper

      Saved In:

    Often called the “shorebird that forgot the shore”

    Bill VanderMolen








      Saved In:


    Upland sandpiper

    EXEWCRENVUNTLCDDNE

    Often called the “shorebird that forgot the shore”

    Population 750,000
    13% increase over the past three generations

    While its relatives are busy poking through mudflats and coastal sands, this quirky bird prefers the wide-open spaces of dry grasslands and prairies. It is a tall, elegant bird with a distinctively small, “pin-head” look on a long, slender neck and remarkably large, dark eyes that give it a perpetually surprised expression. Unlike other sandpipers, it has a short, straight bill and long yellow legs, making it look more like a miniature ostrich than a typical waterbird.

    What truly sets the upland sandpiper apart from other members of its family is its posture and personality. It is famous for its “gentlemanly” habit of landing on a fence post or a telephone pole and slowly folding its wings high over its back in a graceful, synchronized motion. It acts more like a sentry of the plains than a typical skittish shorebird. They are also famous for their incredible voice—a haunting, long, rising whistle that sounds like a “wolf-whistle” from a distance. This ethereal sound is one of the most iconic noises of the American prairie, often heard long before the bird is ever seen.

    One of the coolest facts about these birds is their extreme loyalty to their homes. They are long-distance commuters, traveling all the way from the pampas of Argentina to the grasslands of North America every year. Despite flying thousands of miles across continents, they have an uncanny ability to return to the exact same field or patch of prairie year after year to nest. They are also “insect vacuum cleaners,” following behind grazing cattle or horses to snatch up grasshoppers, crickets, and weevils that are stirred up by the larger animals’ hooves. They are a farmer’s best friend, serving as a natural pest control.

    Distribution

    Country
    Population est.
    Status
    Year
    Comments
    Antarctica
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Antigua & Barbuda
    2020
    Passage
    Argentina
    2020
    Aruba
    2020
    Passage
    Australia
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Bahamas
    2020
    Passage
    Barbados
    2020
    Passage
    Belize
    2020
    Passage
    Bermuda
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Bolivia
    2020
    Bonaire Sint Eustatius And Saba
    2020
    Passage
    Brazil
    2020
    British Virgin Is.
    2020
    Passage
    Canada
    2020
    Breeding
    Cayman Islands
    2020
    Passage
    Chile
    2020
    Passage
    Colombia
    2020
    Passage
    Costa Rica
    2020
    Passage
    Croatia
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Cuba
    2020
    Passage
    Curaçao
    2020
    Passage
    Denmark
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Dominica
    2020
    Passage
    Dominican Republic
    2020
    Passage
    Ecuador
    2020
    Passage
    El Salvador
    2020
    Passage
    Falkland Islands
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain: Malvinas
    France
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    French Guiana
    2020
    Passage
    Gabon
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Germany
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Greece
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Greenland
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Grenada
    2020
    Passage
    Guadeloupe
    2020
    Passage
    Guatemala
    2020
    Passage
    Guyana
    2020
    Passage
    Haiti
    2020
    Passage
    Honduras
    2020
    Passage
    Iceland
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Ireland
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Italy
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Jamaica
    2020
    Passage
    Malta
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Martinique
    2020
    Passage
    Mauritania
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Mexico
    2020
    Passage
    Montserrat
    2020
    Passage
    Netherlands
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    New Zealand
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Nicaragua
    2020
    Passage
    Norway
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Panama
    2020
    Passage
    Paraguay
    2020
    Peru
    2020
    Passage
    Portugal
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Puerto Rico
    2020
    Passage
    Saint Barthélemy
    2020
    Passage
    Saint Helena
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    Saint Lucia
    2020
    Passage
    Saint Martin
    2020
    Passage: French Part
    Saint Pierre
    2020
    Passage
    Saint Vincent
    2020
    Passage
    Sint Maarten
    2020
    Passage: Dutch Part
    Spain
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    St. Kitts & Nevis
    2020
    Passage
    Suriname
    2020
    Passage
    Trinidad & Tobago
    2020
    Passage
    Turks & Caicos
    2020
    Passage
    US Virgin Islands
    2020
    Passage
    United Kingdom
    2020
    Seasonality Uncertain
    United States
    2020
    Uruguay
    2020
    Non-Breeding
    Venezuela
    2020
    Passage

    Anything we've missed?

    Help us improve this page by suggesting edits. Glory never dies!

    Suggest an edit

    Get to know me

    Terrestrial / Aquatic

    Altricial / Precocial

    Polygamous / Monogamous

    Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

    Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

    Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

    Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

    Migratory: Yes / No

    Domesticated: Yes / No

    Dangerous: Yes / No

    EXEWCRENVUNTLCDDNE
    Least Concern(IUCN)
    World Population 750,000

    13% increase over the past three generations


    Honorary Patron: BioDB
    Become a Patron

    Threats

    Habitat destruction / Climate change / Freshwater pollution / Marine pollution / Deforestation / Farming / Fishing practices / Poaching & wildlife trade / Invasive species / Parasites & diseases / Noise pollution / Light pollution

    My ID

    Scientific name: Bartramia longicauda Other names:

    Bartram’s sandpiper
    Papabotte
    Upland plover

    Physical traits

    Length: 30 cm (12 in) Weight: 170 g (6 oz) Lifespan: 3 – 11 years Wingspan: 66 cm (26 in) Incubation: 21 – 29 days Eggs: 4 eggs
    Habitats: Savannah/Grassland
    Regions: Africa Antarctica Europe North America Oceania South America
    Add to my list
      Saved In: