Species › Birds

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: common
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Andarríos chico

Marine taxonomy: validated in WoRMS, AphiaID 212603

Photograph: Imran Shah, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 19–21 cm
Wingspan: 32–35 cm
Weight: 55 g

Presence in the Strait

Common winter visitor to wetlands and coasts (>100), showing site fidelity.

Identification

Small bird, with white lower and brownish upper body. White outertail edges and greyish-green legs. Characteristically, bobs rear body. In flight, rapid wingbeat alternating with glides during which wings are arched downwards. Normally flies just above surface of water. Visible wing bars, dark, streaked chest.

Movements

Peaks in 2nd hf. April and 1st hf. August.

Ring recoveries

Sweden (2), Spain (1), Switzerland (1), United Kingdom (1), Germany (1), Belgium (1) and Denmark (1). Andarríos Chico Scolopacidae Andarríos Grande Andarríos Bastardo Andarríos Chico

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

22 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 25 February 1966
Latest record: 6 April 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: NT · Near threatened · breeding — NT · Near threatened · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

8 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Sweden2
Spain1
Switzerland1
United Kingdom1
Germany1
Belgium1

See the journey on the map

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
GBIF taxon key: 2481800

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Imran Shah, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Common Sandpiper

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery