Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria

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 an abandoned nest of 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!