Migrating through the continental United States is one of the most unique shorebirds in the New World: The Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Buff-breasted Sandpipers are extremely dainty and elegant looking birds with a rounded head, big eyes, and relatively short, pointed bill. As their name would suggest, they have buffy coloration on their head, chest, back and wings, with a similar but lighter color on the rest of their underside. One of their most distinctive features is the dark looking scalloping on their back, wings, and even on their head.

During the winter, these birds spend their time in southern South America and then during the springtime they head north, following a very specific flight path over the Great Plains of the United States, eventually ending up in the areas where they will settle down and breed for the summer. While Buff-breasted Sandpipers are North American breeding birds, you will never get a look at them during breeding season unless you venture to the high arctic as they nest in the most northern parts of Canada and Alaska. During this time of the year, these birds do something almost no other shorebirds do. Males gather on the tundra and perform display dances. This behavior is known as lekking and is usually something grouse and other game birds do. These leks are not as large as those of many grouse species but consist of typically under twenty males. After the males successfully attract a female, females raise the chicks on their own.

In late summer, shorebird migration ramps up as these birds start their long journey south. Buff-breasted Sandpipers are among the species on the move. During fall migration, they are seen much more regularly in the eastern half of the United States than they are in the spring. For those in the central and eastern part of the country, shorebird season and Buff-breasted Sandpiper season really starts in late August and early September when these birds start to appear more regularly. While shorebirds, as one would guess, usually spend most of their time along shorelines of lakes, rivers, and oceans, Buff-breasted Sandpipers show up in dry, flat, open areas with short grasses. Some of these places include pastures, lawns, and mudflats. A more eclectic place these birds often turn up is sod farms where they forage on the turn as well as areas where the turf has been pulled up. Speaking of foraging. Buff-breasted Sandpipers are active in their search for food, walking on the ground and using their vision to spot something to eat. Items on the menu are mostly small invertebrates including insects, spiders, and worms. However, they do not dig into the soil but rather pick up items that are already at least partially visible.

Since Buff-breasted Sandpipers are only in the continental United States for a short time during the year, they often aren’t really thought about the rest of the year. However, this fascinating species has been battling against severe population decline for years. These birds that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions, but due to hunting and habitat loss, their numbers dwindled in the early 1900s. When shorebird hunting was outlawed the species rebounded but they are still not our of the woods yet, and with further habitat loss they are still very much at risk of further decline. Currently, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper population is estimated to be somewhere around 50,000 birds. Right now, they rank a 14 out of 20 on the continental concern score.

Overall, Buff-breasted Sandpipers are a truly interesting species of shorebird that is different than most others. Seeing them in the continental United States is always a treat because of the limited amount of time they spend in the area. Additionally its amusing to see this species because it usually means taking a trip to a place you normally wouldn’t go such as an agricultural field or a sod farm. It’s always funny to see birders flocking to their local sod farm looking for Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Hopefully these lekking, sod loving, long distance traveling shorebirds will continue to survive and someday perhaps fully recover as a species, For the time being, they are an extremely fun bird to see for the short amount of time they show up and will continue to be a desirable species for birders and photographers alike to see in real life. Have you had some fun experiences with Buff-breasted Sandpipers? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thanks for reading, be sure to check out the Badgerland Birding YouTube channel for more birding content!