Habitat
The solitary sandpiper breeds on the
tundra and the
taiga, especially in areas with spruce trees. During migration, it is found on the banks of wooded
streams and
ponds, on the of shores of
lakes, on mudflats, and in
marshes. In the winter, it is found along river banks and in
swamps.
Diet
The solitary sandpiper
forages in shallow water and skims food up from the surface of the water. It eats
insects, larvae, small fish, tadpoles,
frogs, spiders, and worms.
It often shakes its foot to stir prey up to the surface of the water. Occasionally, it probes in the water for food and it also forages for food on land.
Life Cycle
The male selects the nesting site. He chooses the abandoned nest of a songbirds like
American robins,
rusty blackbirds, eastern kingbirds,
gray jays or
cedar waxwings. The nest is usually in a conifer tree, sometimes as high as 40 feet above the ground. The female may rearrange the nest after the male selects it. She lays 3-5 eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs for 23-24 days. The chicks are
precocial and leap from the nest shortly after hatching.
Behavior
The solitary sandpiper and the green sandpiper of Eurasia are the only species of sandpipers that nest in trees!
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