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Sanderling

Calidris albaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Seashore, rocky or sandy, Grasslands, Rivers



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial, Polyandrous



Breeding Population:



Egg Color:

Olive green or brown spotted with brown and black



Number of Eggs:

3 - 4



Incubation Days:

24 - 31



Egg Incubator:

Male



Nest Material:

Lined with small leaves, grass, lichen, mosses, or willow leaves.



Migration:

Migratory



Splitbar

Overview

Sanderling: Medium-sized sandpiper with dark-spotted, rufous upperparts, breast and white underparts. Wings have conspicuous white stripes visible in flight. Bill, legs, and feet are black. Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, isopods, worms, plants and insects. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Sanderling: Breeds in high Arctic tundra from Alaska eastward to Baffin Island. Spends winters along coasts from British Columbia and Massachusetts southward to southern South America. Preferred habitats include ocean beaches, sandbars, mudflats, and lake and river shorelines.

Breeding and Nesting

Sanderling: Three to four black and brown-spotted, olive green or brown eggs are laid in a ground hollow lined with grass and lichens. Incubation ranges from 24 to 31 days and is carried out by the male.

Foraging and Feeding

Sanderling: In spring, diet includes insects, spiders, and vegetation; probes for marine invertebrates within ½ inch of mud surface.

Vocalization

Sanderling: Call is a sharp "kip"; emits conversational chatter while feeding.

Similar Species

Sanderling: Red Knot and rare Curlew Sandpiper are larger and have more rufous on breasts. Winter Sanderling has more distinct wing stripe.

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Family
Species Calidris alba
Length8 Inches
Wingspan15 Inches

Sanderling

Sanderling: Medium-sized sandpiper with dark-spotted, rufous upperparts, breast and white underparts. Wings have conspicuous white stripes visible in flight. Bill, legs, and feet are black. Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, isopods, worms, plants and insects. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "kip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Sanderling: In spring, diet includes insects, spiders, and vegetation; probes for marine invertebrates within ½ inch of mud surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Sanderling: Three to four black and brown-spotted, olive green or brown eggs are laid in a ground hollow lined with grass and lichens. Incubation ranges from 24 to 31 days and is carried out by the male.

● Similar species: Sanderling: Red Knot and rare Curlew Sandpiper are larger and have more rufous on breasts. Winter Sanderling has more distinct wing stripe.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Sanderling Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Sanderling: Breeds in high Arctic tundra from Alaska eastward to Baffin Island. Spends winters along coasts from British Columbia and Massachusetts southward to southern South America. Preferred habitats include ocean beaches, sandbars, mudflats, and lake and river shorelines.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial, Polyandrous
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight4.2 Ounces