8

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) Size: 20-22 cm; wing span 55-60 cm Body mass: 40-100 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.40

Australia: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Red-backed Button-quail Chestnut-backed Button-quail Little Button-quail Red-chested Button-quail Painted Button-quail Black-breasted Button-quail Ruddy Turnstone Latham's Snipe Swinhoe's Snipe Painted Snipe Asian Dowitcher Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Hudsonian Godwit Whimbrel Little Curlew Eastern Curlew Eurasian Curlew Pectoral Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Ruff Red Knot Great Knot Wandering Tattler Grey-tailed Tattler Wood Sandpiper Terek Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Green Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Long-toed Stint Temminck's Stint Sanderling Broad-billed Sandpiper Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Wood Sandpipers are small waders. Their plumage is highly cryptic. During the breeding season the neck and chest are light grey-brown, with some inconspicuous striation. The flanks are of the same colour, but with brown barring. Belly, vent and undertail coverts are white. The head has pale, almost white eyebrows, while the frons and crown are streaked white and dark-brown. The back, including the wings, is dark grey-brown with prominent, strongly contrasting white spots all over. During the non-breeding season the pale eyebrow is much more prominent, while the colours are otherwise duller in general. In particular, the colour contrast of the spots with the now more greyish brown back is reduced. In-flight they have three lines of spots on the upperwing, but no wing bar. The eyes have dark irises. The black bill is straight and about as long as the size of the head. The legs and feet are yellowish. In-flight the feet protrude beyond the tail. Juveniles have prominent buff spots on their entire back and more brown on head and neck than non-breeding adults. Twitcher's tip Compared with Pectoral Sandpipers and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, they are spotted, not scalloped and/or streaked. Various species of stints, which can also have brownish chests, are visibly smaller. The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and related families or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE.

Taxonomy, classification See Wood Sandpiper at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Wood Sandpiper is available HERE . Wood Sandpipers are a migratory species. Their breeding grounds are located in an area ranging from northern Europe to far-eastern Asia. Most Wood Sandpipers spend the northern winters in Africa, Arabia or India, while a smaller number migrate to South-east Asia or Australia. On their migration they can be found in many locations in between, in parts along designated flight paths. Wood Sandpipers are non-breeding migrants to Australia from the North. They reach Australia anywhere along its tropical coastline and disperse basically around the entire coastline. Their overall distribution is patchy. They are mostly found along the lower courses of some of the major rivers, in the south-eastern corner of SA (around Adelaide), the central Murray-Darling basin near the NSW/VIC border, in an area around Brisbane, QLD, along the Pilbara coast in WA and around Lake Eyre, SA. Elsewhere on the continent, in Tasmania and on offshore islands they are found only occasionally, and basically never in the major deserts of WA/SA/NT. Wood Sandpipers have a preference for fresh or brackish water. They are found mostly in the estuaries of major rivers and riverine marshes, but also often in sewage treatment plants.

Sightings Click here for sighting information B. Hensen reports spotting Wood Sandpipers at Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, in March 2013, and at Knuckey Lagoon, Darwin, NT, in November 2018 P. Brown found a Wood Sandpiper at McMinns Lagoon, 30 km South of Darwin, NT, in September 2018, and at Keep River NP, NT, in November 2018. M. Eaton reports finding a Wood Sandpiper at Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, in April 2019. Another was spotted at Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, in December 2019. Another was found at the Sewage Treatment Plant, Katherine, NT, in July 2020. M. Mearns found a Wood Sandpiper along the Georgina River, Camooweal, QLD, in September 2019.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Near-lateral view of a Wood Sandpiper in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

NON-BREEDING

Lateral view of Wood Sandpipers, one in breeding plumage [right] the other in non-breeding plumage [left]
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Near-frontal view of a Wood Sandpiper moulting into non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, September 2018]

Lateral view of a Wood Sandpiper moulting into non-breeding plumage, with Pied Herons for comparison
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, September 2018]

Lateral view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage foraging under water (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Keep River NP, NT, November 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Lateral view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sewage Treatment Plant, Katherine, NT, July 2020]

Lateral view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Georgina River, Camooweal, QLD, September 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sewage Treatment Plant, Katherine, NT, July 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, April 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Wood Sandpiper moulting into non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, September 2018]

Dorsal view of a Wood Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Georgina River, Camooweal, QLD, September 2019]

Direct comparison between a Wood Sandpiper, right, with a Marsh Sandpiper, centre, and a Red-kneed Dotterel on the left (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Knuckey Lagoon, Darwin, NT, November 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Near-frontal view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Near-frontal view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Near-frontal view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Lateral view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper - note the brownish flight feathers, which may be much worn juvenile feathers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Dorsal view of an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Direct comparison between an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper, front left, and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Direct comparison between an immature(?) Wood Sandpiper, front left, and a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/small mob

Does oppressive tropical heat make birds aggressive? On the same day, at the same place, B. Hensen observed both Wood Sandpipers and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers fighting.

Wood Sandpipers in non-breeding plumage fighting: "What 'My feeding ground'?!" (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, November 2018]

Wood Sandpipers in non-breeding plumage fighting: "Take that!" (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, November 2018]

Wood Sandpipers in non-breeding plumage fighting: "And that!" (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[McMinns Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, November 2018]

Food, Diet

Wood Sandpiper picking up a frog for breakfast (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Wood Sandpiper lining up a frog (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

wospipe_dw_20200726.m4a	(Poland)	Contact call	© DW
wospipe_dw_20190720.m4a	(Poland)	Contact calls	© DW
wospipe_dw_20190720_2.m4a	(Poland)	?	© DW

More Wood Sandpiper sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.