Sanderling
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The sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English sand-yrðling, "sand-ploughman".<ref name=OED>Template:Cite OED</ref> 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".<ref name=job>Template:Cite book</ref>
It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South 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 sandpipers in appearance, which has led to the suggestion that it should be placed into a monotypic genus Crocethia. A more recent review (Thomas et al., 2004) indicates, however, that the sanderling is a fairly typical "stint" or small sandpiper and should be separated from the large knots with its closest relatives in a distinct genus.
This bird is similar in size to a dunlin, but stouter, with a thick bill. It shows a strong white wingbar in flight, and runs along the sandy beaches it prefers with a characteristic "bicycling" action of its legs, stopping frequently to pick small food items. It eats small crabs and other small invertebrates. In spring, birds migrating north from South America consume large numbers of horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bay area.
In spring, the birds arrive on the High Arctic breeding grounds (see map), where they lay 3–4 eggs in a ground scrape. On the nesting grounds, these birds mainly eat insects and some plant material.
The sanderling was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Trynga alba.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal Includes a transcript of the 1764 text.</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The sanderling is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
DescriptionEdit
The sanderling is a small plump sandpiper, Template:Convert in length. Its weight ranges from Template:Convert. The winter bird is very pale, almost white apart from a dark shoulder patch. This is the source of the specific name, alba, which is the Latin for "white". Later in the summer, the face and throat become brick-red. The juvenile bird is spangled black and white, and shows much more contrast than the adult.
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If its size is misjudged, a sanderling in breeding plumage can be mistaken for some varieties of stint, or a sanderling in winter plumage can be mistaken for a dunlin or red knot. It can be told from other small wading birds, given good views, by its lack of a hind toe. Its behavior is also distinctive.
Distribution, habitat and migrationEdit
The sanderling breeds in the High Arctic areas of North America, Europe and Asia. In North America, it breeds in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Nunavut, Greenland (and to a lesser extent Alaska). In Eurasia, it breeds in Spitsbergen and areas of northern Russia from the Taymyr Peninsula to the New Siberian Islands. In the northern winter, it has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution across the world's marine coasts. It is a complete migrant, travelling between Template:Convert from its breeding grounds to its wintering sites. Birds that travel further also arrive later and leave sooner. Most adults leave the breeding grounds in July and early August, whereas juvenile birds leave in late August and early September. The northward migration begins in March at the southern end of their winter distribution.<ref name=BNA/>
The breeding habitat of the sanderling is coastal tundra north of Template:Convert July isotherm. The species typically chooses nesting sites on dry stony areas near wet areas, from Template:Convert above sea level to Template:Convert. During the winter and its migration, it is most commonly found on coastal sandy beaches, but also occurs on tidal sand flats, mud flats and the shores of lakes and rivers. More infrequently, it may occur on rocky shores.<ref name=BNA/>
SubspeciesEdit
The sanderling consists of two subspecies:
- C. a. alba, (Pallas, 1764), breeds on Ellesmere Island, north & east Greenland, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and the Taymyr Peninsula
- C. a. rubida, (Gmelin, 1789), breeds in northeast Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada
BehaviourEdit
Feeding behaviourEdit
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Sanderlings feed on invertebrate prey buried in the sand in the upper intertidal zone. In North America, this diet largely consists of the isopods Excirolana linguifrons, Excirolana kincaidii, and the mole crab, Emerita analoga. When the tide is out, these crustaceans live in burrows some way beneath the surface. When the tide comes in, they move into the upper layers of sand and feed on the plankton and detritus that washes over them with each wave. They then burrow rapidly down again as the water retreats. They leave no marks on the surface, so the sanderlings hunt for them by plunging their beaks into the sand at random, consuming whatever they find. Their bills can penetrate only Template:Convert and as the water swirls around and retreats, the sand is softer; this makes it easier for the birds' beaks to penetrate further. In the spring, when much breeding activity is taking place in the benthic community, there may be as many as 4000 invertebrates per square metre, but their average size is smaller than later in the year. The birds appear to rush madly around at the edge of the surf, but in reality they are maximising their chances of catching as many prey animals as possible when they are at their most vulnerable near the surface.<ref name=Schultz1990/>
Breeding behaviourEdit
At breeding time sanderlings are territorial, with the male aggressively defending its territory. They may either form monogamous pairs or polyandrous (one female and two male) pairings.<ref name="BNA"/>
GalleryEdit
- Sanderling Dan Pancamo.jpg
Sanderling at High Island, Texas
- SANDERLING.jpg
A Sanderling in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
- SanderlingsRunningFromWavesCropped.jpg
A flock displaying their distinctive behavior of running with the ebb and flow of waves (while feeding). Willapa Bay, near Tokeland, Washington.
- OneLeggedSanderling.jpg
Resting at the Monterey Bay Aquarium aviary.
- Sanderling-floreana.jpg
Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands
- Sanderling (with tag).jpg
A banded bird
- Calidris-alba-001.jpg
Running
- Sanderling from the Crossley ID Guide Britain and Ireland.jpg
ID composite
- Sanderling-11MAY2017.JPG
Sanderling in Monterey, California
- Sanderling (Calidris alba).jpg, Amrum.jpg
Sanderling on the island of Amrum, Schleswig-Holstein
- Sanderlings (72649).jpg
Sanderlings feeding in Quogue, New York
NotesEdit
FootnotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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External linksEdit
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- Sanderling Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
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- Sanderling Species Account — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Sanderling - Calidris alba — USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
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