Common sandpiper

    Actitis hypoleucos

Castilian: Andarríos chico

Catalan: Xivitona

Gallego: Bilurico das rochas

Euskera: Kuliska txikia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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listen song

THREATS

The most important threat is the destruction of its habitat due to the construction of small hydroelectricity stations as well as aggregate extraction, among other things; it is also affected by human disturbances, such as tourism, hiking and sport fishing.

Length / size: 18-20,5 cm / 32-35 cm

Identification: Small wader (the smallest of all sandpipers). It has a pale colouration that begins at the sides of its breast and goes up to its neck; it also has short legs. During mating season its back is greyish-brown with darker bars and markings, and its underparts are white. When perched, it moves its tail up and down. In flight, the most eye-catching characteristic is the pattern of its wings: a wide, white band that contrasts with the rest of its dark feathers.

Song: It makes a whistling sound that is something like "feet feet feet feeee".

Diet: It feeds on invertebrates, mostly insects, which it captures in muddy banks or on the surface of the water.

Reproduction: The female builds the nest in a depression in the ground near water and covers it with plant matter and stones. Both sexes incubate and care for the chicks, depsite the fact that they feed themselves.

HABITAT

When breeding it prefers rivers, reservoirs and streams, where it occupies sandbanks or gravel deposits; in migration and during winter it also occupies estuaries, marshes, beaches and rocky areas.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is common in the foothills of the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains, and in the high and middle basins of the Rivers Miño, Duero, Tajo, Guadiana and Ebro, and their tributaries. When wintering, it is more disperse, but it tends to be distributed in places in the Atlantic region of Andalusia, as well as in Galicia and Asturias.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout all the provinces, but the largest breeding populations are found in Burgos and León.

Movements and migrations: It is a resident species in the peninsula, although some specimens behave as migrants and make small journeys to the south. The Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands receive western European specimens in postnuptial passage, which will reach their wintering areas in African between August and September.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 3000-4000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated maximum population of 700 breeding pairs.