Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

OTHER NAMES: Summer Snipe, Sand Lark

Latin Etymology: Actitis ("coast-dweller") hypoleucos ("beneath white")

Adult Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) at Laguna Navaseca, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 41-56g  /  Length: 18-20cm  /  Wingspan: 32-35cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Despite the name, I wouldn't personally actually describe the Common Sandpiper as all that common - by the standards of waders it is about middling, but probably more thinly distributed than species which prefer the coast. Sandpipers in general I've often found to be relatively willing to come near to the front of hides at least which should offer some reasonably good photo opportunities.  The key with Common Sandpipers is differentiating them from the very similar Green Sandpiper - note the extend of the white chest, which in the green sandpiper stops before the shoulders.

Related Species:

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Actitis

Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common to Locally abundant Breeding Resident (9000 pairs) and Common Winter Visitor (41000 birds)

 - Birds seen at Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Regent's Park and Pitsford Reservoir.

SINGAPORE 

A common Winter visitor and pasage migrant.

 - SINGAPORE/CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP: Single bird at Lower Pierce Reservoir.

SPAIN - Spanish - Andarríos chico ("Boy Sandpiper")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Laguna Navaseca.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto