Upland Sandpiper is a long-necked bird of prairies and other open country. The long legs are pale, usually yellow. The dove-like head is balanced on a relatively thin neck; See Fig. 7.

The eyes are large with conspicuous eye rings. The bill is bicolored, straight and relatively short; see Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Fig. 15.

The tail is longer than the wings when folded. It protrudes beyond the long legs in flight; see Fig. 8, Fig. 9, Fig. 10, Fig. 13, Fig. 16.

The precocial chick is covered with brown and tan down. It has a long-legged, top-heavy appearance as it runs about shortly after hatching; see Fig. 2.

Once the Upland Sandpiper chick sheds its down and develops feathers, in June or July, its appearance barely changes over the seasons. Through careful study, it is possible to discern juvenile plumage, which may last until October or even January.

Juvenile birds are often buffy all over. The neck and upper breast are marked with sepia streaks instead of chevrons as in adults. Tertial feathers (long feathers covering primary tips when the wings are folded) have incomplete bars; see Fig. 4.

Look for parallel pale lines on the back (mantle) formed by exposed white bases to scapular feathers typical of many juvenile shorebird species; see Fig. 5.

Juvenile wing covert feathers have dark subterminal marks (dark line paralleling pale margin). These marks are usually chevron-shaped; see Fig. 5.

Worn dark brown juvenile back (mantle) feathers have very narrow pale margins. Fresh adult feathers that replace them also have dark brown centers but usually with wide tan, rusty, or golden margins; see Fig. 6.

Fresh Upland Sandpiper adult upperparts plumage is bright, often appearing golden; see Fig. 7, Fig. 8.

Upper flanks, breast and neck of adults is marked with chevrons; see Fig. 9. Breast markings create a bib effect similar to Pectoral Sandpiper; see Fig. 11.

By summer, back (mantle) feather margins are worn and Upland Sandpiper appears much darker; see Fig. 9, Fig. 12.

When adult plumage is molted, older, frazzled, brownish feathers contrast with fresh feathers with colorful margins; see Fig. 17.

When the tail is spread for display, most of the outer tail feathers are orange and white with dark brown chevrons and bars; see Fig. 12, Fig. 13.

The center of the tail is dark; the bird in flight usually looks dark-tailed because the dark central tail feathers cover up the folded colorful outer feathers; see Fig. 16.

In flight, Upland Sandpiper underwings are heavily barred brown; see Fig. 10, Fig. 15.

In flight, upper wings are brown. The outer half of each wings is much darker than the inner half; see Fig. 13, Fig. 16.

Upland Sandpiper often perches on fence posts to survey the landscape; see Fig. 14.

A characteristic pose of the bird when it lands is to momentarily raise the wings; see Fig. 15.

The traditional breeding range of Upland Sandpiper was the central prairies of North America. In the 17th and 18th centuries, deforestation of the east and spread of agriculture by newly arrived European immigrants increased the amount of habitat suitable for Upland Sandpipers; nesting sandpipers spread from the center of their Midwestern breeding range to the east. Then, in the late 19th century, market gunners hunted shorebirds by the tens of thousands and drastically reduced the population of many species including Upland Sandpiper. The bird was also heavily hunted in South America where it winters. Currently, with the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty in place, the midwestern population has been rebounding.

In southeastern Canada and eastern United States, there are scattered colonies of Upland Sandpiper in suitable open habitat. Often airports are used as breeding locales.

Northwestern Canada and eastern parts of Alaska host a separate population of Upland Sandpipers.

This sandpiper seldom associates with other shorebirds. On the other hand, nesting adults feed communally; in suitable habitat, nests may be semi-colonial. Occasional flocks of Upland Sandpipers form during migration season.

During migration, Upland Sandpiper flight is direct with powerful, full-length strokes of the wings. On the nesting grounds and in courtship flights, the birds fly with stiff wings and shallow strokes, somewhat resembling a Spotted Sandpiper in flight; see Fig. 13, Fig. 16.

Upland Sandpiper has a monogamous mating system. During courtship, Upland Sandpiper pairs fly in aerial circles; during the flight or upon landing, the pair may wolf-whistle. Once landed, the birds raise their wings in characteristic fashion; see Fig. 15.

Upland Sandpiper nests are well-hidden on the ground in the midst of medium height vegetation. They usually contain 3 – 4 pyriform (pear-shaped) eggs; see Fig. 1.

Once the chicks are all hatched, the parents (often just the male) protect them for a week or two. Adult(s) and chicks move to an area with shorter vegetation in order to forage on typical grassland insects such as grasshoppers, weevils and other arthropods. Worms, millipedes, spiders and some plant seeds are also consumed.

Upland Sandpiper migration is primarily nocturnal.

Adult birds depart nesting areas in late August to mid-September, the juveniles slightly later. The southbound migration route for most birds is through the eastern half of North America and then eastern Mexico or over the Caribbean islands. Their route takes them over parts of northern South America, including the Andes. During the northern winter, most end up in southeastern South America: southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.

Northbound migration for Upland Sandpiper is generally on a route farther to the west than southbound. Once in North America, most spring migrants stay to the west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains.

During migration and also on the wintering grounds, Upland Sandpiper forages on its typical diet of grassland insects such as grasshoppers and beetles but also consumes wetland or marine prey such as crayfish, periwinkles and small snails.

Upland Sandpiper (UPSA) is considerably larger than Pectoral Sandpiper (PESA); for a comparison image, see Fig. 18.

Note the following:

• Upland Sandpiper is about 50% larger than Pectoral Sandpiper. • Upland Sandpiper eye is very large, placed on a relatively small head.
• Upland Sandpiper bill is straight and bicolored: the lower mandible is mostly yellowish and the upper mandible is dark. Pectoral Sandpiper has a proportionally longer bill which is slightly curved; the inner half of the bill is pale and the outer half is dark.
• Upland Sandpiper breast markings resemble that of the Pectoral: on both, the brown markings end abruptly on the lower breast, creating a bib effect. The breast marks on a Pectoral Sandpiper are streaks whereas those on the adult Upland are chevron-shaped or anchor-shaped.

Upland Sandpiper (UPSA) and Whimbrel (WHIM) are long-legged, tall shorebirds which roost and feed in similar habitats; for a comparison image, see Fig. 19.

Note the following:

• Upland Sandpiper is about ¾ the size of Whimbrel.
• Upland Sandpiper bill is straight, short and bicolored, with a pale lower mandible. Whimbrel bill is long and downcurved; the base of the lower mandible may be pinkish.
• Upland Sandpiper face is plain, with a large eye and conspicuous pale eye ring. Whimbrel has strong facial markings consisting of dark lines through the eyes and parallel dark lines on the crown split by a pale line.
• Upland Sandpiper legs are pale, usually yellowish. Whimbrel legs are dark, usually gray or bluish.
• Upland Sandpiper back (mantle) is usually speckled buffy or golden. Whimbrel has checkered grayish-brown mantle plumage.
• Upland Sandpiper is very long-tailed compared to Whimbrel.
• The breast and flank markings on adult Upland Sandpiper are crisp and chevron-shaped. Whimbrel has streaking on the breast and barring on the flanks.