Sandpiper is a name given to a large number of birds. But the name usually refers to certain types of small birds with long, sensitive bills. These birds live on the seashore in all parts of the world, and many species build their nests north of the Arctic Circle.
Their plumage varies from buff to brown, gray, white, or black. The birds dig in the soft mud or sand, or probe among rocks, in search of insects, worms, shrimps, and soft mollusks. They often follow receding waves, sometimes in flocks, searching for bits of food. Their graceful movements and cheerful cries have made them popular birds. The female sandpiper lays three to four eggs. The eggs are colored a light gray, buff, or olive, and spotted with dark brown.
One of the best-known North American species is the spotted sandpiper, which is found throughout the United States and southern Canada. The upland sandpiper is a useful bird that eats insects. It lives on dry uplands in the United States and Canada. Hunters once killed them in great numbers. A larger species called the willet lives in marshes along the warm Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and in many Western states. Laws protect all sandpipers from hunters.
