Sanderling.
Photo: K Vang and W Dabrowka © Bird Explorers
Sanderlings.
Photo: K Vang and W Dabrowka © Bird Explorers
Distribution map of Calidris alba
Map © Birds Australia Birdata
Sanderling
Scientific name: Calidris alba
Family: Scolopacidae
Order: Charadriiformes
- Featured Bird Groups
- Shore birds and waders
What does it look like?
Description
The Sanderling is a tiny, pale grey wader, seen darting along shorelines. The upper body is grey, with white below. The bill is dark, thick at the base and slightly drooped at the tip. The legs are short and black and lacking a hind toe. The flight is flickering and a prominent white wingbar is obvious. When in breeding plumage, the head, neck and breast is rufous.
Similar species
The Sanderling is slightly larger than the Red-necked Stint, C. ruficollis, with a longer, heavier bill, and smaller than the Curlew Sandpiper, C. ferruginea. In flight the large white wingbar is obvious, as is its way of dashing along the beach in front of the waves.
Where does it live?
Distribution
Sanderlings are found very widely along Australian coastlines and are regular visitors to New Zealand. The species could be considered cosmopolitan, being found along the coastline in many other countries. They breed from north America to north Russia and islands in the Arctic Ocean.Habitat
Sanderlings are found on open sandy beaches at the edge of the waves, on sandbars and spits. They roost on bare sand in the dunes or behind piles of kelp.
Seasonal movements
This is a migratory species, breeding mostly in Siberia, moving south with different breeding populations moving to different areas. The Sanderlings migrating to Australia and south-east Asia probably breed on New Siberian Island, leaving mid-July to mid-August and juveniles a little later. They fly in large flocks, flying huge distances without stopping. They arrive in Australia from September and leave the Sydney area by early April. Small numbers over-winter here.What does it do?
Feeding
A Sanderling will feed busily and briskly on the shoreline, jabbing its bill in the sand, snatching at prey, then retreating from the waves - like a clockwork toy. They eat mainly insects and other arthropods and small crustaceans, by day and night. They also eat seeds and buds on their nesting grounds.
Breeding
Sanderlings breed in the high Arctic tundra so the breeding season is short, lasting about eight weeks. They may even lay two clutches in North Canada, one incubated by the male and one by the female. Generally, pairs share incubation, in a shallow nest which is usually unlined and in an exposed position.Living with us
Living with humans
Threats on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (the migration route to Australia) include economic and social pressures such as wetland destruction and change, pollution and hunting.
References
Pringle, J.D. 1987. The Shorebirds of Australia. Angus and Robertson and the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife, Sydney.
Morcombe, M. 2000. Field guide to Australian Birds. Steve Parish Publishing.
Higgins, P.J. and S.J.J.F. Davies (eds) 1996. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 3 (Snipe to Pigeons). Oxford University Press, Victoria.