The white-rumped sandpiper is a small shorebird 6-7 inches (15.24-17.8 cm) in length with a 16-17 inch (40.6-43.2 cm) wingspan.
It has a short, pointed, black bill; a white stripe over its eyes; long black legs; a medium-sized neck; and a brown back marked with black. It has a brown-streaked breast and a white belly and rump.
Its pointed wingtips extend beyond its tail when it is at rest. In the non-breeding season, it is a grayish brown. Males and females look alike.
The white-rumped sandpiper forages on the ground or in the water for food. It eats insects, larvae, seeds, worms, mollusks, and crustaceans.
The female white-rumped sandpiper lays 4 eggs in a grass-lined depression in the ground. The female incubates the eggs for 20-21 days. The chicks fledge when they are 16-17 days old.
The white-rumped sandpiper can live up to years in the wild.
The white-rumped sandpiper is a long-distance migrator. It migrates in large flocks from the Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska to Argentina at the tip of South America.
Support for NatureWorks Redesign is provided by:
The white-rumped sandpiper does not breed in New Hampshire, but it can be spotted in the state during its migration.
The white-rumped sandpiper breeds across extreme northern Alaska and Canada.
It migrates through eastern and central Canada and the eastern and central United States.
It winters in extreme southern South America.
NHPBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs on-air, online, in classrooms and in communities.
