Characteristics
 The spotted sandpiper is about six to seven inches in length. It is brown above and white below with dark brown spots on its chest and belly. It has a white line over its eyes, an orange bill with a black tip and long yellowish or pinkish legs. Males and females look alike, but the female is a little larger.
Range
The spotted sandpiper breeds across most of Canada and the United States. It winters along the the Pacific Coast in the west and and in the southern United States, south to South America.
Habitat
 The spotted sandpiper lives on the edges freshwater sources like ponds, streams, lakes and rivers. In winter it can be found in shallow, muddy lagoons; creeks; canals and mudflats. It can also be found on beaches.
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Diet
 The spotted sandpiper probes for a variety of insects and other small invertebrates including fly larvae, grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, spiders, worms, crustaceans and mollusks. It may also catch insects in the air.
Life Cycle
Unlike most species of birds, the female spotted sandpiper reaches the breeding range before the male and selects and defends a territory. She then tries to attract a male. The female lays four eggs in a grass and moss-lined nest made in a depression in the ground. the female may mate with multiple males and she may lay eggs for each of them! The male incubates the eggs and cares for the chicks. The chicks hatch in 20-24 days. They leave the nest shortly after birth and hop around looking for food. They fledge when they are 17-21 days old.
Behavior
The spotted sandpiper is sometimes called
the "teeter-tail" because of the way it bobs its rump up and down!
Image Credits: Clipart.com unless otherwise noted
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