In fall, it migrates to southern Brazil and Argentina. The upland sandpiper makes its nest in clumps of prairie grass or dry leaves on the prairie. The female lays four cream-colored or pale buff eggs, speckled with dark brown. The color of the birds blends with the grass, making them hard to see. The young birds can fly by mid-summer, and they start south almost at once.
Upland sandpipers destroy many harmful insects, such as locusts and cutworms.
The upland sandpiper is protected from hunters by law. The upland sandpiper is in the family Scolopacidae. Its scientific name is Bartramia longicauda. Fritz L. Knopf, Ph.D., Section Leader, National Biological Survey. How to cite this article.