Tringa solitaria
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The solitary sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) is a small shorebird. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific solitaria is Latin for "solitary" from solus, "alone".
This species measures 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in) long, with a wingspan up to 50 cm (20 in) and a body mass of 31–65 g (1.1–2.3 oz). It is a dumpy wader with a dark green back, greyish head and breast and otherwise white underparts. It is obvious in flight, with wings dark above and below, and a dark rump and tail centre. The latter feature distinguishes it from the slightly larger and broader-winged, but otherwise very similar, green sandpiper (T. ochropus) of Europe and Asia, to which it is closely related. The latter species has a brilliant white rump. In flight, the solitary sandpiper has a characteristic three-note whistle. They both have brown wings with little light dots, and a delicate but contrasting neck and chest pattern. In addition, both species nest in trees, unlike most other scolopacids.
It breeds... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 6 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Maracaibo | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 8 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Solitary Sandpiper sighting in Ciénaga de Zapata on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 134th most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Solitary Sandpiper in Ciénaga de Zapata on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months. That is one of Ciénaga de Zapata's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 15 mm in February. September has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Solitary Sandpiper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
27th of 71
Of the 71 parks where we can rate Solitary Sandpiper sightings, Ciénaga de Zapata ranks 27th at under 5%. The best odds are in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (United States, about 20%), Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago, about 20%) and Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Tringa
The closest relatives of the Solitary Sandpiper that you can see in Ciénaga de Zapata (genus Tringa, Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies) are Greater Yellowlegs (about 30%), Willet (about 20%) and Lesser Yellowlegs (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Solitary Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Ciénaga de Zapata (39 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
