Sanderling
Calidris alba
Sanderlings are one of the few sandpipers that lack a hind toe, an adaptation that helps them run faster across the sand.
- Scientific name
- Calidris alba
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Calidris
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Sandy beaches, coastal mudflats, and Arctic tundra during breeding season.
- Diet
- Small crustaceans, mollusks, marine worms, and insects.
- Range
- North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia
- Size
- 18-21 cm length; 40-100 g weight
- Lifespan
- 5-13 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Coastal development, human disturbance, and climate change affecting Arctic breeding grounds.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe from a distance to avoid causing the bird to waste precious energy flying away. Keep dogs on leashes on nesting or foraging beaches. If they stop feeding and look at you, you are too close.
The sanderling ( Calidris alba ) is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English sand-yrðling , "sand-ploughman". The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris , a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific alba is Latin for "white".
Photo: Marco Chan, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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