Upland Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
Distinctive sandpiper found in areas with short grass. Frequently seen perched on fence posts or atop small shrubs. Overall patterned buffy-brown with small head, long neck, large eye, and yellow bill with black tip. Long tail and shallow fluttery wingbeats give it a unique look in flight. Song typically given in flight; starts with a soft gurgling trill and ends with a loud whistle that rises and falls. Migrates to South America in the winter, particularly Paraguay and northern Argentina.
Identification
An adult is roughly 30 cm (12 in) long with a 66 cm (26 in) wingspan. The average weight is 170 g (6 oz). This odd bird has a small dove-like head on a long neck. It is heavily marbled black and brown on the back and wings. The neck is streaked with dark brown which continues down to the breast and on to the flanks. The belly and undertail coverts are white. The tail is quite long for a sandpiper. The upland also sports a white eye-ring and long yellow legs.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Bartramia longicauda
- Authority
- (Bechstein, 1812)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Bartramia
Range and habitat
Even though they are sandpipers, they prefer open country with tall grasses to coastal habitat. They are also found at airports, blueberry farms and abandoned strip mines in the east. Their true core range and habitat is in the northern midwest United States. They breed from eastern Alaska south east of the Rocky Mountains through Montana to northern Oklahoma and then northeast to Pennsylvania, New England and extreme southern Quebec and Ontario. There are also local breeding populations in northeast Oregon and west central Idaho. They winter in northeastern Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is an extremely rare vagrant to the South Pacific, with one record each from Australia and New Zealand.
- Breeding range
- NA : inland grassland of subarctic to n temperate Neotropics: n to se Alaska and nw Canada, e to se Canada and New England, in s to e Oregon, ne Oklahoma and in se to Pennsylvania (ec USA)
- Non-breeding range
- inland grassland of subtropical to temperate s South America: mainly s Paraguay, s Brazil, Uruguay and wc to ec Argentina
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
The numbers of these birds increased as forests were cleared in the early 19th century, but declined sharply in the late 19th century due to hunting. They are now regularly present in Midwestern North America but populations are scattered in the east.<p>Loss of prairie habitat is a concern. Also, livestock grazing has been found to reduce the number of nests in a field. Controlled burns may benefit this species as they feed on low-growing plants that are more easily spotted after a fire.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Chestnut Woodpecker
Celeus elegans
A “classic” Celeus woodpecker, medium-sized and rufous overall with a shaggy crest. Unlike the similar Scale-breasted and Waved Woodpeckers, Chestnut Woodpecker mostly or entirely lacks black markings on the body and wings. Sexes are similar, but males have a red mustache. The color of the crest varies across subspecies: some birds have a contrasting golden crest, while others have a plain rufous crest like the rest of the body. Widespread but uncommon across much of northern South America, where it inhabits the mid-levels of lowland forests and edges, especially around water.
Knob-billed Duck
Sarkidiornis melanotos
Large bicolored waterbird. Both sexes are iridescent purplish-green above with a white or buffy breast. Males have a large black lump on the bill, gray flanks and whitish belly, whereas females have a plain bill and gray flanks. Note all dark wings. Occurs throughout much of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Found in freshwater rivers, lakes, and marshes where it is usually uncommon. Normally silent.
Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush
Catharus mexicanus
Small, plain-breasted thrush of tropical and subtropical evergreen forest in foothills and highlands. Usually elusive and heard far more often than seen. Feeds mainly on the ground, but also in fruiting bushes and trees. Sings from low to middle level perches. Plumage distinctive, with blackish cap, contrasting orange eyering and bill, and dusky upperparts. In dark shady understory, could be confused with Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, which has rusty brown upperparts. Song distinctive: slightly scratchy and not very fluty.
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