Feistypipers

Pity the bird that gets between a Semipalmated Sandpiper and its meal out on the mudflat! If crowded while foraging, they will readily attack, bumping birds of their own and larger species out of the way with their bodies. The deceptively cute juveniles can be just as irritable as their elders, fluffing their neck feathers, raising the tail, and lowering the head and bill in unmistakable threat.

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BirdNote^®

Feistypipers

Written by Rick Wright

This is BirdNote.
[Semipalmated Sandpiper, ML 29095181, 0:38 ff.]
There is nothing quite like watching a tidal flat aswarm with tiny shorebirds: all that bustle and busyness, energy and excitement. The entire flock can appear to be one giant hyperactive organism.
[Semipalmated Sandpiper, ML 29095181, 0:38 ff.]
But make no mistake: there are plenty of individuals out on that mudflat. Zoom in and you’ll find Semipalmated Sandpipers, fiercely defending their foraged snacks. Though just slightly bigger than sparrows, they are no pushovers.
[Semipalmated Sandpiper, ML 29095181]
Semipalmated Sandpipers are the most abundant migrant sandpipers across much of their range, and they’re also some of the most aggressive. Things can get especially out of hand when large flocks gather to feed during migration.
If a foraging sandpiper feels crowded, it will use its body to bump other birds away from the food source, or even attack its neighbors -- whether those neighbors are the same species or others, like Western and Least Sandpipers.
And don’t be fooled by their cute chicks. They can be just as feisty as their parents, fluffing their neck feathers, raising their tails and lowering their heads and bills to intimidate other birds. A small but mighty presence on the beach!
[Semipalmated Sandpiper, ML 29095181]
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
Today's show brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.

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Semipalmated sandpiper, ML29095181, provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, and recorded by Paul Marvin.
Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Editor: Ashley Ahearn
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2020 BirdNote October 2020 Narrator: Michael Stein

ID#: SESA-01-2021-10-27 SESA-01