Bartramia longicauda
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is a large sandpiper, closely related to the curlews. Older names are the upland plover and Bartram's sandpiper. In Louisiana, it is also colloquially known as the papabotte. It is the sole extant member of the genus Bartramia. The genus name and the old common name Bartram's sandpiper commemorate the American naturalist William Bartram. The species name longicauda is from Latin longus, "long" and caudus, "tail". The name "Bartram's sandpiper" was made popular by Alexander Wilson, who was taught ornithology and natural history illustration by Bartram.
An adult is roughly 30 cm (12 in) long with a 66 cm (26 in) wingspan. The average weight is 170 g (6 oz). This odd bird has a small dove-like head on a long neck. It is heavily marbled black and brown on the back and wings. The neck is streaked with dark brown which continues down to the breast and on to the flanks. The belly and undertail coverts are white, and the tail is quite long for a sandpiper. The upland sandpiper also has a white eye-ring and long yellow legs.
They breed from eastern Alaska south east of the Rocky Mountains through Montana to northern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 7 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 12 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 15 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 16 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 8 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Upland Sandpiper sighting in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 128th most-seen of the 171 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Upland Sandpiper in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Upland 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.
4th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Upland Sandpiper sightings, Padre Island National Seashore ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Badlands National Park (United States, about 20%), Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, under 5%) and Iberá National Park (Argentina, under 5%).
Same family: Scolopacidae
The closest relatives of the Upland Sandpiper that you can see in Padre Island National Seashore (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Willet (about 90%), Sanderling (about 80%) and Ruddy Turnstone (about 80%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Upland Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Padre Island National Seashore (19 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.
