The Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, is a small wader, 18 - 20 cm long with a 32-35 cm wingspan. Together with its sister species, the Spotted Sandpiper (A. macularia) they make up the genus Actitis. They replace each other geographically; stray birds may settle down with breeders of the other species and hybridize. Hybridization has also been reported between the Common Sandpiper and the Green Sandpiper, a basal species of the closely related shank genus Tringa.

Taxonomy:

Scientific classification

Kingdom:         Animalia

Phylum:           Chordata

Class:              Aves

Order:              Charadriiformes

Family:             Scolopacidae

Genus:             Actitis

Species:          A. hypoleucos

Binomial name: Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758)

Distribution:

The Common Sandpiper breeds in Europe and Asia. In Australasia it visits New Guinea and Australia, mainly in the north and west. It is less often seen in New Zealand.

Physical Characteristics:

Common Sandpipers are easily identified by their habit of "teetering": constantly bobbing head and tail while on the ground, particularly when feeding. Their Malay name sounds like their call. The adult has greyish brown upperparts, white underparts, short yellowish legs and a bill with a pale base and dark tip. Juveniles are barred above and have buff edges to the wing feathers.

This species is very similar to its closely related American counterpart, the slightly larger Spotted Sandpiper, in its non-breeding plumage, but its darker, olive legs and feet and the crisper wing pattern in flight tend to give it away; non-breeding Common Sandpipers also have some barring on the wings visible at close range . Like that species, it has a distinctive stiff-winged flight low over the water. It is grey-brown above and white below, extending up in a pointed shape between the wing and the dark breast band.There is an indistinct white supercilium (eyebrow) and white eye-ring. The bill is dark grey with yellow at the base and the legs vary from greyish-olive to a yellowish-brown. When at rest, the long tail projects well beyond the tips of the wings. This species is also known as the Eurasian Sandpiper or Summer Snipe.

Habitat:

The Common Sandpiper is found in coastal or inland wetlands, both saline or fresh. It is found mainly on muddy edges or rocky shores. During the breeding season in the northern hemisphere, it prefers freshwater lakes and shallow rivers.

Diet:

Common Sandpipers appears to be the least specialised and eat a wide variety of prey: from minute invertebrates to crustacea, worms, insects, spiders, centipedes. They may even scavenge from food scraps thrown out by people from boats or waterside activities. Common Sandpipers feed restlessly and deliberately. They run along the water's edge, visually locating prey on the surface and not by probing in the mud. Thus they avoid soft mud and prefer to forage on rocky coastlines and breakwaters. They may even forage in concrete drainage ditches, and inland grasslands. They may also dash after prey that they spot some distance away. They may swim or dive after prey. Prey is often broken up into smaller bite-sized pieces, e.g., crabs.

Behavior:

Common Sandpipers are abundant but typically feed alone or in pairs, avoiding areas where other more gregarious species feed. But they roost in small groups of about 30 and migrate in flocks.

Breeding:

Common Sandpipers breed in northern Eurasia from the Atlantic across the continent to Central Japan. They usually arrive at their breeding grounds in pairs. Their breeding song is a repeated rising kittie-needie. They prefer to nest near water, including stony and fast flowing rivers, small pools, lakes, sheltered sea coasts. Their nest is usually a shallow hollow on the ground, lined with leaves and plant stalks, under overhanging plants. But sometimes in trees or shrubs, and even on rafts of floating vegetation. 4 yellowish eggs with dark mottling or spots are laid. The male does most of the incubation. (21-23 days). As soon as they are dry, the hatchlings disperse away from the nest to hide among the surrounding vegetation. The male does most of the rearing.