Common name: Common Sandpiper
Scientific name: Actitis hypoleucos
Family: Scolopacidae

Size:
Body length: 18–20 cm
Wingspan: 32–35 cm
Weight: 20–50 g

Identification:
A small, slender wader with brown upperparts and clean white underparts. A distinctive white crescent extends from the breast up onto the shoulder, a key identification feature. It has relatively short legs and a medium-length straight bill. Known for its constant tail-bobbing (“teetering”) motion. In flight, it shows a narrow white wingbar and flies low over water with rapid wingbeats.

Habitat:
Shorelines, riverbanks, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and coastal mudflats. Occurs in both freshwater and coastal environments.

Status in the UAE:
Common passage migrant and winter visitor. Widely recorded across wetlands, lakes, and coastal areas.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds on insects, small crustaceans, worms, and other invertebrates, picking prey from the surface or shallow water.

Behavior:
Usually solitary and territorial while feeding. Constantly bobs its tail while walking. Flies low over water with a fast, direct flight. Often detected by its sharp “twit-twit” call when flushed.

Conservation status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)