The Story
I photographed this Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) at Playa El Diablo on the Guayabero River, near La Macarena, Meta, Colombia, in February 2021. It breeds near fresh water across most of Canada and the United States. Its genus, Actitis, which it shares with the Common Sandpiper, was introduced in 1811 by the German zoologist Johann Illiger. In the breeding season a female may mate with more than one male and lay a clutch for each, leaving the incubation to the males, which look after the young both before and after they hatch. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/1500 sec, f/16, ISO 12800, −1 EV. Visits to Caño Cristales, the Mirador Cristalitos and the Raudal de Angosturas in La Macarena National Park are arranged through authorized local operators.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) belongs to the family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List
