A Review of Western Sandpiper Migration in Interior North America

Although western sandpipers are primarily Pacific coast migrants, some migrate to and from breeding grounds in Alaska through interior North America. On the Great Plains, numbers are small and movements irregular during spring migration, whereas in fall western sandpipers are more numerous and widespread. Western sandpipers banded at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, have been encountered in Florida, Mexico, and Guyana. Individuals banded in coastal British Columbia have been recovered at Cheyenne Bottoms. Banded adults in fall remained at Cheyenne Bottoms for an average of 34 days; immature birds remained an average of 13 days. Mean estimated flight ranges varied from 909 to 2,443 km among samples of immature and adult western sandpipers. Our data and literature review suggest that interior migrating western sandpipers may have a breeding range distinct from that occupied by Pacific coast migrants and that some individuals may migrate north along the Pacific coast and south across the continental interior.