Description
 The semipalmated sandpiper is a small shore bird between 5-6 inches in length. It has gray and brown plumage above, a thin, white wing stripe, and a white belly. It has a pointed, black bill and black legs. Semipalmated means half-webbed. The semipalmated sandpiper's toes are actually only slightly webbed, just enough to help them walk on the mud without sinking! Males and females look alike.
Range
 The semipalmated sandpiper breeds in northern Alaska and Canada south to the Hudson Bay. It migrates through the eastern and central states and winters in South America.
Habitat
The semipalmated sandpiper breeds on the tundra. It winters on and migrates along coastal beaches, lake and river shores, mudflats, and salt marshes.
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Diet
The semipalmated sandpiper eats seeds and aquatic invertebrates.
Life Cycle
 Males arrive on the arctic breeding grounds in late May, usually a few days before the females. The males establish a territory and then try to attract a mate with aerial displays that include hovering in the air and calling out with sharp cries. When it finds a mate, the male creates scrapes or shallow depressions in the ground. The female selects one of the scrapes the male has made and lays 4 eggs at a rate of one egg a day. Both the male and the female incubate the eggs. The chicks hatch in about 19 days. The chicks are precocial and hunt for insects shortly after birth. They begin to fly when they are about 14 days old. The female usually leaves the chicks about ten days after they hatch. The male continues to care for the young until they fully fledge at about 19 days.
Behavior
During migration, thousands of semipalmated sandpipers can gather to rest and feed on shores.
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