Semipalmated sandpiper

Semipalmated sandpiper wading in calm blue water with its reflection, Manitoba

The semipalmated sandpiper is a small, plain shorebird, one of the sandpipers often called “peeps.” It has black legs, a short, straight black bill, brown upperparts, and white underparts. Its name comes from the partial webbing between its toes.

It breeds on the Arctic tundra and passes through Manitoba on migration, in spring and again from midsummer into fall. Look for it on muddy shorelines and in shallow pools, picking tiny invertebrates from the mud and the water’s surface, often in loose flocks.

I like the quick, busy way a semipalmated sandpiper stitches along the water’s edge.

To learn more about this bird and its habitat, visit the semipalmated sandpiper page at All About Birds.

Semipalmated sandpiper Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the semipalmated sandpiper in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the semipalmated sandpiper nests and migrates, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the semipalmated sandpiper in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Hudson Plains and the Southern Arctic (gold) and passing through the Boreal Shield, the Taiga Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies in spring and fall (lilac). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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