Sanderling
Calidris alba
The sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird.
About the Sanderling
The sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, being among the most extreme northern breeding birds in the world, nesting only on the coldest tundra, north of the 5°C July isotherm; in Europe, its southernmost breeding locality is Svalbard, where only a handful (5–15) pairs breed. It is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, western and southern Europe, Africa, and Australia. It is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches. It is somewhat unlike other small sandpipers in appearance, in particular in lacking a hind toe, which has led to the suggestion that it should be placed into a monotypic genus Crocethia. More recent reviews indicate that the sanderling is a fairly typi
Fun Facts About Sanderling
- It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, being among the most extreme northern breeding birds in the world, nesting only on the coldest tundra, north of the 5°C July isotherm; in Europe, its southernmost breeding locality is Svalbard, where only a handful (5–15) pairs breed.
- The sanderling was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Trynga alba.
- The sanderling is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
- In spring, the birds arrive on their High Arctic breeding grounds (see map) at the end of May or in early June, where they lay 3–4 eggs in a ground scrape from mid June to mid July.
- On the nesting grounds, these birds mainly eat insects and some plant material.
Conservation Status
The Sanderling is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species is currently stable and not at significant risk of population decline.
Taxonomy & Classification
| Order | Charadriiformes |
| Family | Scolopacidae |
| Genus | Calidris |
| Species | Calidris alba |
Range & Habitat
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Other species in the Scolopacidae family: