7.5 inches long. The Spotted Sandpiper is a fairly small short-legged shorebird. It has a brown head, hindneck, back, and upperwings with small back bars. There is a pale eyebrow and dark eyeline. The throat, breast, and belly are white with bold black spots. While flying a white wing stripe is visible. The legs are yellowish or pinkish. The bill is orange with a black tip. Non-breeding birds have a dark bill with a pale base. The head is pale brown. The sides of the breast are brown with a finger of white extending up in front of the leading edge of the wing. This shows up on perch or walking birds. There are no spots on the throat breast or belly. Juvenile birds are similar to non-breeding birds except the wing coverts are barred.
The Spotted Sandpiper is a common migrant through the area. It can be seen from April through late May and again in fall from mid July through early September. It can best be seen along Stream Trail and the Great Marsh during the spring.
The Spotted Sandpiper teeters while walking giving it some common names such as “Teeter Peep”, “Teeter Snipe”, or “Tip-tail”. The Spotted Sandpiper has a distinctive, stiff winged, and fluttery flight on bowed wings. This bird has the most widespread breeding range of any sandpiper in North America. The sex roles are reversed. Female Spotted Sandpipers arrive first on the breeding grounds, stake out territories, and attempt to attract males. Males take the primary parental role. Although many shorebirds are known for their spectacular migratory gatherings, the Spotted Sandpiper migrates singly or in small groups. The flight call is a shrill “peet – weet “and “weet-weet-weet “.
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