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Bartramia longicauda
This upland sandpiper was very difficult to spot in the tall grasses near a lake in Kearny Nebraska. The upland sandpiper is 11-12 inches in length. It has long, yellow legs; long wings; large eyes; a sharp, pointed, black-tipped yellow bill; a small head and a long neck. It is speckled brown on top and white with brown spots and bars on its chest and belly. The upland sandpiper is also called the grass plover and the upland plover.
The upland sandpiper prefers dry grasslands over wetlands. It is sometimes called the "shorebird of the prairie." It lives on open prairies, grasslands, pastures, wet meadows and hay fields. Its numbers have sharply declined since the late 1800's due to hunting and habitat loss. This upland sandpiper was spotted in tall grasses near a lake edge in Fort Kearny State Recreation Area, Kearny Nebraska
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