Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Bobs constantly, like it's nervous about something. Delivers messages on a tail-twitch.

Population: 3.23-5.19 million mature individuals globally (BirdLife International/IUCN, 2021 assessment estimate; stable population trend)
Habitat: Breeds along pebbly, sandy, or rocky margins of fast-flowing rivers, lakes, and streams (sea level up to 4,000+ m elevation); non-breeding habitat includes small pools, ditches, riverbanks, streams, dam shores, marshy areas, estuaries, freshwater seeps on coastal shores, tidal creeks in mangrove swamps, saltmarshes, and even sewage filtration tanks
Fun fact: Common Sandpiper chicks can cling to a parent's body and be flown to safety if threatened, an unusual behavior among wading birds.
Range: Breeds across most of temperate and subtropical Europe and Asia (breeding EOO ~47,200,000 km²); full migrant wintering in Africa, southern Asia, and Australia/Oceania (non-breeding range ~141,000,000 km²); migrates at night overland across deserts and mountains on a broad front; occurs across 190+ countries and territories
Diet: Insects, crustaceans, and other small invertebrates picked from shorelines; occasionally catches insects in flight
Size: 0.19 m
Wingspan: 0.335 m
Lifespan: 15 years

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