The Stilt Sandpiper is a long-legged, long-billed sandpiper that feeds with a distinctive sewing-machine probing motion in shallow water, resembling a dowitcher but with a drooped bill tip. In breeding plumage the rufous ear patch and barred underparts are distinctive. It is a common interior migrant but less often encountered on the coasts.
Best time to see a Stilt Sandpiper
The best time to see a Stilt Sandpiper is April–August, when about 70% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 5,379 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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Recent Stilt Sandpiper sightings near you
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