| Upland Sandpiper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Bartramia |
| Species: | Bartramia longicauda |
The Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is a large American sandpiper closely related to curlews. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bartramia.
Description[]
The length is from 26 to 32 cm and the mass is from 98 to 226 g. It is an unusually proportioned shorebird; in relation to body size, the head looks small. The black-and-yellow beak is straight and slender as long as the head. The bright yellow legs are quite long. The eyes are large and dark. The face and throat are light beige, with a darker streaked crown. The neck is with thin brown streaks. The chest sports dark drop-like spots, turning into bars at the flanks. The belly and undertail are pale cream in color. The mantle and wing-coverts are brown with dark stripes and cream-colored feather borders. Under the wings are white with loads of very dark stripes. The tail is brown with white tips and black stripes.
Behavior[]
Upland Sandpipers are active during the day and at dusk. In search of food, they run very quickly over short distances, stopping abruptly and pecking. Its diet consists primarily of insects. In this case, locusts, crickets and weevils, as well as various beetle larvae, play an essential role. In addition, it feeds on spiders, snails and earthworms. Most of the prey is collected by birds on the ground.
As a rule, mating occurs before arrival in the nesting regions. The nest is a hole on the ground lined with dry plant material. 4 eggs, which vary from being cream to pink-beige in color, are laid there. The incubation period lasts 24 days, and both parent birds incubate the clutch. Young birds stay with their parents for 32 to 34 days.
Distribution and Habitat[]
Its range extends from northwest Alaska, Yukon, and British Columbia southward to Oregon and from there to the Great Plains and Great Lakes to western Virginia and Maryland. The wintering regions are in South America and extend from southern Brazil to southern Argentina and Chile. Upland Sandpipers breed in low-grass meadows, prairies and grassy swamps. During migration, they are found in the savannas and open fields, as well as on the Pampas, airfields and golf courses.