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Dunlin (Calidris alpina) — photo 1 of 5
© Mdf, edited by Fir0002 CC BY-SA 3.0

Sandpipers · Shorebirds

Dunlin

Calidris alpina

Voice

Call

Sonothèque ADVL

0:14

Song

Doug Hynes

0:22

Song

Doug Hynes

2:00

How to recognize it

  • Starlingsized, but stouter

  • Long black slightly downcurved bill

  • Winter plumage: brown above, white below; breeding plumage: black belly

  • Narrow white wingbar in flight; call a sharp “chreep”

About the species

Often seen working its way along mudflats and sandy shores, the dunlin keeps low and busy, probing for food with a slightly downcurved bill. In breeding plumage it shows a black belly, while in winter it turns grey-brown above and white below; its voice is a sharp "chreep".

It feeds with a steady, sewing-machine motion, picking at small prey in shallow water and wet ground. On migration and in winter it gathers in large flocks, and large groups may swirl together over coastal stops. The call is plain and sandpiper-like, and the display song is a harsh trill.

During the breeding season it uses tundra and other northern ground. Outside that time it moves to coastal mud, beaches, marshes, and other open wet places, where it eats insects, larvae, worms, molluscs, and small crustaceans.

Where to find

  • Along canal banks and pond edges — especially where mud is exposed and grass stays short, Dunlin feed with quick sewing-machine pecks.

  • On wet lawns and vacant lots after rain, moving low over the ground as they pick at insects and worms.

  • At the fringes of reedy pools and slow water, where small flocks gather on migration and give a thin, high call.

  • Near marshy edges of city parks, most noticeable in early morning while probing the shallows along the bank.

You might also see

Sources