The distinctive shape of the Upland Sandpiper is very unlike any other shorebird in North America. Although it is closely related to the curlews, and shares a number of plumage features with that genus, it is much smaller than any extant curlew species in B.C. and has a relatively short, straight bill as opposed to the very long, decurved bills of the curlews.
This species is closest in size and plumage to the Little Curlew of eastern Asia and, although it has never been conclusively recorded in B.C., a single record of this species from coastal Washington and several records for California suggest that it may occur anywhere along the Pacific coast during fall migration. Any potential vagrant Upland Sandpipers along the coast of B.C. should be assessed to make sure that they are not in fact Little Curlews, and vice versa. The Little Curlew is slightly larger than the Upland Sandpiper and its bill is exceptionally short and straight for a curlew and approaches that of the Upland Sandpiper (although it still retains the slightly decurved shape that is typical of the curlews). Aside from bill shape, Little Curlew is best distinguished by the contrasting dark crown and eyeline, giving the head a streaked appearance. Upland Sandpiper, in contrast, lacks a dark eyeline and has a very plain pattern on the head that accentuates the large, dark eye. Other plumage characteristics of Little Curlew include its buffier underparts with much less extensive brown barring on the sides and flanks, its buffier and less heavily marked neck and breast (whatever dark marks are present are usually fine streaks rather than barring), its shorter and square-tipped brown tail that lacks white outer feathers, and its grey (rather than yellowish) legs and feet.
Source: Hayman et al. (1986); Paulson (1993)
| The song of this species is very unique and unusual, and is not easily forgotten once heard. It begins with a sputtering series of rich, fluid, bubbling notes followed by a long, ethereal, mournful whistle that initially rises slowly in pitch before reversing and slowly descending: pup-pup-pup-pup-whooooLEEEEE-WHLEEEoooo-oooooo; this song is often known as the ‘wolf-whistle’ due to its resemblance to the wailing sound of a wolf. This species also gives a staccato hu-hu-hu, tu-hu-hu. When alarmed near the nest site it produces a grating grrgrrgrrgrrgrr. The call note, which is usually the only vocalization heard during migration, is a low, strong, liquid qui-di-di-du or quip-ip-ip; this call is given primarily from flight. Source: Sibley (2000); Houston and Bowen (2001) |
Courtship
Courtship displays occur both in flight and on the ground, and begin immediately after arrival on the breeding grounds in spring. During the lengthy flight display, the male and female rise in unison into the air with fluttering wingbeats to a height of ~30 m (rarely as high as 400 m), and then fly in a large circle (200-300 m diameter). When the pair nears completion of the circle and approach to within ~1 m of each other, they abruptly drop to the ground. Both sexes produce the long, wailing ‘wolf whistle’ call during this display (see ‘Vocalizations’) and, upon landing on the ground or an elevated post or pole, briefly hold the wings erect above the back before folding them. The male sometimes completes the flight display alone, during which he directs his attention to a nearby female on the ground. During the ground-based display, the male approaches the female with his body held low, his head slightly elevated, his tail cocked, and his throat pouch puffed out, giving a low, throaty rattle as he nears her. The pair bond is retained only until the young are 6-8 days old. This species often nests loosely colonially.
Nest
Nest-building begins ~2 weeks after arrival on the breeding grounds, which would indicate that the first nest-building activities in B.C. commence primarily in late May or early June. Both sexes contribute to the construction of the nest, which consists of a shallow scrape in the ground (10-11 cm in diameter, 2.5-5 cm in depth) that is usually lined with grasses, leaves, plant stems, and small twigs. The nest lining is added throughout the laying period, so the first egg is often laid on bare soil but by the completion of the clutch there may be a shallow cup formed by the accumulated lining. The nest is often concealed by overhanging canopy of vegetation, especially tall grasses. This species generally constructs multiple scrapes before choosing one in which to lay the eggs.
Eggs
A single clutch of (2) 4 (7) eggs is laid immediately following the completion of a suitable nest scrape in late May or early June, and is incubated by both sexes for 21-29 days before hatching. The smooth, slightly glossy eggs are buffy or creamy-buff to pale olive-grey and are more or less evenly speckled with dark brown or reddish-brown spots (larger spots sometimes concentrated towards the larger end). Eggs likely occur in B.C. between late May and late June. There is a single record of nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbird in North America, and such parasitism appears to be exceedingly rare.
Young
The young are precocial and downy upon hatching, and leave the nest within the first day. The down is whitish-buff on the throat and underparts, buffy on the head, breast, and sides of the neck, and mottled with black, brown, and buff on the upperparts. The crown and nape are also mottled with brown and black, and there are several black marks on the side of the face (including a line behind the eye, which isolates a pale whitish-buff supercilium). The legs and feet are yellow and the relatively short, straight bill is dark with a yellowish-olive tinge at the base. The young are tended by both parents for the first 6-8 days after hatching, after which time they are tended by only one adult. The young become fully independent by ~30-35 days of age. Young are likely present in B.C. between late June and late July.
Source: Baicich and Harrison (1997); Hooper (1997); Houston and Bowen (2001)
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This species feeds almost exclusively on small invertebrates (insects and the larvae, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, snails, earthworms, etc.), with small seeds comprising <5% of its diet. It is among a group of shorebirds (which includes Buff-breasted Sandpiper, both golden-plovers, and Killdeer) that tend to prefer grassy upland habitats to marine or freshwater shorelines for foraging, and the Upland Sandpiper is the most closely tied to upland habitats of all of these species (rarely occurring along shorelines). It captures prey by walking slowly to fairly rapidly through grassy habitats and gleaning or picking the invertebrates from the ground or off low vegetation, and it regularly snatches low-flying insects from the air while standing on the ground. It often forages in a ‘plover-like’ fashion in which it runs briefly for a short distance, pauses, picks at a piece of food, and then runs a short distance again. It sometimes forages among cattle in pastures, where it has access to the abundance of flying insects that are attracted to the animals. When walking, it characteristically jerks its head back and forth in a manner that is accentuated by the long, slender neck. At other times, it bobs its body up and down while holding its head and neck stationary. Most foraging is done singly or in small groups (except during migration, when groups of up to 26 individuals have been recorded in B.C.), and it rarely associates with other shorebird species. It is often very tame and allows close approach, especially during migration. When not foraging, it often perches on elevated, exposed perches such as fence posts, telephone poles, telephone wires, or tree snags.
Source: Hayman et al. (1986); Paulson (1993); Houston and Bowen (2001)
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