COMMON SANDPIPER

446          COMMON SANDPIPER             Actitis hypoleucos

South Africa        (110)

18-20 cm. Breeds across most of temperate and sub-tropical Europe and Asia, and migrates to Africa, southern Asia and Australia in winter. It forages picking up insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. In the Nukumanu Islands the sandpiper is called matakakoni, a taboo name when women and children are around because it means 'bird that walks a little, then copulates'; this is a reference to its head thrusting and tail-pumping as it forages.