Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
IUCN status: Least concern
Flyway population 190 000 (2022 estimate)
Common Sandpiper (Juvenile) Darwin. Robert Bush.
Identification
Non-breeding: The back is olive-brown, with the rest of the upperparts are dark olive-brown each feather has a fine black and white edging. The underparts are white, though there are dark olive-brown patches on the sides of the breast. The rump is white. The tail is olive-brown with white tips on the end of the feathers. There is a pale white supercilium. The bill is of medium length, black with a pale base. The legs are pale yellow.
Breeding: Similar to the non-breeding plumage but the upperparts are darker because the feathers have black tips.
Juvenile: Similar to the non-breeding plumage but the feathers of the upperparts have buff tips.
Confusing Species
Nil
The distinctive plumage and habits make this species easy to identify. At rest, almost constant teetering. In flight, striking wing-bar and white sides to rump and tail. Distinctive flight action, usually low over water, and distinctive ringing, high-pitched call.
Distribution
Common Sandpipers breeding in east Asia migrate through Korea and Japan to Wallacea, New Guinea and Australia. Many immatures remain in breeding grounds all year. Some degree of fidelity to both stopover and wintering sites. In Queensland, mainly Gulf of Carpentaria and along east coast, east of Great Dividing Range. More sparse to the west.
Monthly reports of Common Sandpiper in Queensland
Best sites in Queensland to see Common Sandpiper
| Location | Times reported | No. of eBird lists | Probability % |
| Boigu Island | 91 | 139 | 65.5 |
| Lockhart River Wastewater Treatment Plant | 157 | 516 | 30.4 |
| Harbour Promenade, Banksia Beach, Bribie Island | 57 | 244 | 23.4 |
| Newell Beach Boat Ramp | 76 | 353 | 21.5 |
| Thursday Island | 53 | 394 | 13.5 |
| Sandfly Creek Mackay | 31 | 286 | 10.8 |
| Black Gully Rd and shoreline, Tinaroo Dam | 16 | 172 | 9.3 |
| Cooya Beach, near Mossman | 10 | 136 | 7.4 |
| Dohles Rocks Road Pond | 65 | 924 | 7.0 |
| Redden Island (Machans Beach Cairns) | 35 | 547 | 6.4 |
Best sites to see Common Sandpiper by Region
Conservation
EPBC listing: Marine, Migratory. Not listed as threatened
References
- BirdLife Australia (2023). Common Sandpiper. [Text before updates sourced from: Marchant, S. et al (eds) 1990-2006 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.Volume 1 to 7.] Birdlife Australia. Birdlife Australia. Source: https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/common-sandpiper/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
- van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.comsan.01
- eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org (Accessed: Date 12/4/2026)
- Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
- Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
- https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/