Sanderling

The Sanderling, Calidris alba is a small wader. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, Africa and Australia. It is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches.

This bird is similar in size to a Dunlin, but stouter, with a thick bill. It shows a strong white wingbar in flight, and runs along the sandy beaches it prefers with a characteristic "bicycling" action, stopping frequently to pick small food items.

The depicted bird is a spring recent arrival on the High Arctic breeding grounds, wher it lays 3-4 eggs on a ground scrape. Later in the summer, the face and throat become brick-red.

The winter bird is very pale, almost white apart from a dark shoulder patch. This is the source of the specific name, alba, which is the Latin for "white". The juvenile bird is spangled black and white, and shows much more contrast than the adult.

The only confusion with this species occurs if the size is misjudged, when a breeding plumage bird can be mistaken for a stint.

On the map below, the dark shading shows the approximate southern limit of the Sanderling's breeding range