sandpiper

[ sand-pahy-per ]

noun

1. any of numerous shore-inhabiting birds of the family Scolopacidae, related to the plovers, typically having a slender bill and a piping call.

sandpiper

/ ˈsændˌpaɪpə /

noun

1. any of numerous N hemisphere shore birds of the genera Tringa, Calidris, etc, typically having a long slender bill and legs and cryptic plumage: family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes
2. any other bird of the family Scolopacidae, which includes snipes and woodcocks

Word History and Origins

Origin of sandpiper¹

First recorded in 1665–75; sand + piper

Example Sentences

Four UK shorebirds - the grey plover, dunlin, turnstone and curlew sandpiper - are becoming more endangered on the red list.

From BBC

Alongside the marine animals, Bischoff said he was excited to find an entire shore ecology that included skulls of sandpipers and pieces of driftwood in the bone bed.

From Los Angeles Times

But amid the rivalries, fraud and plagiarism, “The Birds in America,” Audubon’s seminal collection of 435 life-size prints, missed many winged creatures that were not discovered for years, including some common songbirds, hawks and sandpipers.

From Seattle Times

In spring, two dozen species of shorebirds use the refuge as a way station — primarily Western sandpipers and dunlin.

From Seattle Times

Without golf balls whizzing overhead, the land has become habitat for migratory shorebirds, among them black-necked stilts, greater yellowlegs and sandpipers, and has even drawn the secretive American bittern.

From Seattle Times