Upland Sandpiper
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| Upland Sandpiper Conservation status: Lower risk (lc) | ||||||||||||||
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 Upland Sandpiper | ||||||||||||||
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| Bartramia longicauda (Bechstein, 1812) |
The Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda, is a large shorebird, closely related to the curlews. At one time, it was known as the Upland Plover. It is the only member of the genus Bartramia (Lesson, 1831).
Adults have long yellow legs and a long neck and tail. The head and neck are light with brown streaks. The back and upper wings are a darker mottled brown and the belly is white.
Their breeding habitat is open grasslands and fields across central North America and Alaska. They can sometimes be found in small loose nesting colonies. Breeding season is from early to late summer; nests are located on the ground in dense grass. The female lays 4 eggs; both parents look after the young and may perform distraction displays to lure predators away from the nest or young birds.
They are long distance migrants and winter in South America. They are very rare vagrants to Europe, notably the Isles of Scilly, where they can be extremely tame.
These birds forage in fields, picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and some vegetation.
They are frequently sighted on fence posts or even telephone poles.
Upland Sandpipers can be identified by their very distinctive call which sounds like a series of descending whistles.
The numbers of these birds increased as forests were cleared in the early 19th century, but declined sharply in the late 1800s due to hunting. They are now fairly common in midwestern North America but populations are scattered in the east.