Editing Sanderling (section)

==Behaviour==

===Feeding behaviour===
[[File:Sanderling (Calidris alba) feeding.jpg|right|thumb|Sanderling feeding]]
Sanderlings feed on invertebrate [[Predation|prey]] buried in the sand in the upper [[intertidal zone]]. In North America, this diet largely consists of the [[Isopoda|isopods]] ''[[Excirolana linguifrons]]'', ''[[Excirolana kincaidii]]'', and the mole crab, ''[[Emerita analoga]]''. When the tide is out, these [[crustacean]]s 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 {{convert|2|or|3|cm|in|abbr=on}} 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 [[Benthos|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 behaviour===
At breeding time sanderlings are [[territory (animal)|territorial]], with the male aggressively defending its territory. They may either form [[monogamy in animals|monogamous pairs]] or [[Polyandry in animals|polyandrous]] (one female and two male) pairings.<ref name="BNA"/>