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Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) — photo 1 of 5
© JJ Harrison CC BY 3.0

Sandpipers · Shorebirds

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Summer visitor

Voice

Call

Sonothèque ADVL

0:26

Song

Grégoire Chauvot

0:57

Song

Jochem verweij

0:16

How to recognize it

  • 22 cm, wingspan up to 40 cm

  • White underparts, grey-brown upperparts

  • Dark legs, bill with dark tip

  • Low even flight over water, "hihihidi"

About the species

The common sandpiper keeps close to the water and moves with quick, low flight just above the surface. It is usually seen alone, and its steady bobbing tail and head movements give it a restless look as it feeds.

It picks food by sight from shallow water or the ground, taking insects, small crustaceans, and other tiny invertebrates. Its call is a sharp “hidididi,” repeated as it moves along the edge of streams and pools.

Look for it by rivers, streams, and still waters through much of Europe in the warmer months. In winter it leaves for southern Mediterranean regions, southern Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Where to find

  • Along rivers, canals, and stream edges — especially where a narrow strip of bare shore meets shallow water, the Common Sandpiper dashes in quick steps and pumps its tail.

  • At pond margins and quiet backwaters, watch for it on sand or mud patches while it pecks up tiny insects and crustaceans.

  • During migration, it may pause on stone embankments and bridge supports — flying low over the water before dropping onto a ledge near the edge.

  • On small islands and overgrown banks, look for a sudden burst of motion from the reeds and a sharp piping call from the riverside greenery.

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Sources