WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER GALLERY
(Calidris fusciollis)

eBird offers this description of the White-rumped Sandpiper:  Long-winged sandpiper most easily identified by size and shape. Slightly larger than other small sandpipers; noticeably elongated body and long wingtips. Distinctive white rump visible in flight. In breeding plumage, crisply spangled black and brown wings; note warmer brown cheek and crown and extensive fine streaking on sides. Nonbreeding plumage is plainer gray with pale eyebrow; typically shows some streaking on sides well into the fall. Juvenile bright and crisp; note pale eyebrow and long wings. In all plumages, shows brownish base to the lower mandible, only visible at close range. Most similar to Baird’s Sandpiper but grayer. Found on mudflats, shallow marshy pools, and flooded fields; often mixed with other small shorebirds. Short, high-pitched, metallic call usually given in flight or when alarmed.

I saw and photographed this bird on my way out of Bolivar Flats.  The light was fading, so I am afraid my pictures are not that great, but a pretty little bird!

The sun sets on two White-rumped Sandpipers at Bolivar Flats, May 21, 2020.
Habitat of the White-rumped Sandpiper. Bolivar Flats, May 21, 2020.


“Cool Facts” About the White-rumped Sandpiper From All About Birds…

  • The White-rumped Sandpiper actually has dark rump feathers. The white feathers at the base of the tail are the uppertail coverts, special feathers that cover the base of the stiff tail feathers.
  • The White-rumped Sandpiper has one of the longest migration routes of any American bird, from arctic Canada to southern South America. Southbound migrants fly over the Atlantic Ocean, then gradually move southeast along the coast before turning inland to cross the Amazon basin. The trip takes about a month.
  • Male White-rumped Sandpipers are generally indistinguishable from females except on the breeding grounds, where the larger throats of males are noticeable, even when they are not displaying. This large throat probably relates to the way in which the male’s unusual song is produced during display flights.
  • The oldest recorded White-rumped Sandpiper was at least 7 years old. It was banded in Quebec in 1972 and found in Nunavut in 1978.