Page 397 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES
Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres
LENGTH 8½–10 in
(21–25 cm)
WEIGHT 3–4 oz
(80–110 g)
HABITAT Rocky/sandy a deft movement of its bill. This often
coasts, coastal lowlands reveals sandhoppers and other small
DISTRIBUTION Arctic coasts (breeding); temperate animals, which it snaps up or chases.
and tropical coasts worldwide (non-breeding) Ruddy turnstones, like many waders,
nest in the far north, but their feeding
Found on coasts all over the world, habits restrict them to coastal areas.
the ruddy turnstone feeds in a After breeding, their southward
distinctive way, scuttling along the migration takes them to coasts on
tideline, flicking stones aside with every continent except Antarctica.

ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES plumage than the male. Once she
similar species, collectively known has mated and laid her eggs, she takes
ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES
as curlews, that have mottled brown Gray Phalarope no part in incubation or raising the
Whimbrel plumage, sharply pointed wings, and young. By comparison with other
bills up to 8 in (20 cm) long. The Phalaropus fulicarius waders, gray phalaropes are highly
whimbrel’s bill is only half this length, aquatic birds and spend much of their
Numenius phaeopus LENGTH 8–9 in
1
LENGTH 15 / 2 –18 in but it is a precision instrument, with (20–22 cm) time afloat. They breed close to coasts,
(40–46 cm) sensitive nerve-endings at its tip that WEIGHT 2–3 oz (50–75 g) and once they have migrated south,
WEIGHT 10–16 oz enable the bird to feel for buried food. HABITAT Marshy coastal they often overwinter
(270–450 g) The whimbrel is strongly migratory, tundra, plankton-rich far out at sea.
HABITAT Arctic tundra, nesting inland across much of the far open ocean
coasts, reefs, wetlands north, in marshy open country. At DISTRIBUTION Arctic coasts (breeding); South
DISTRIBUTION N. Europe, Arctic (breeding); temperate this time of the year, the male sings Atlantic and eastern South Pacific (non-breeding)
and tropical coasts worldwide (non-breeding) from high in the air, gradually
descending on widely spread wings. Also known as the red phalarope, this
Using its long, downcurved bill, the After breeding, whimbrels head short-billed wader shows a remarkable
whimbrel feeds by probing into wet south along coastlines, reaching as reversal of roles when it breeds.
mud or by extracting animals from far south as the tip of South America Unlike most birds, the female—shown
rocky crevices. It is one of eight and New Zealand. here—has a much brighter breeding

in a range of habitats from moorland
ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES
WINTER FLOCKS to tundra, often some distance inland.
Dunlin Both parents help to incubate the eggs
Wintering waders form some of the and raise the young. After breeding,
largest bird flocks to be found on
Calidris alpinus they gather in flocks to migrate to
1
1
LENGTH 6 / 2 –8 / 2 in coasts. Flocking makes it harder for warmer coasts, but rarely travel into
(16–22 cm) predators to approach unseen and the Southern Hemisphere. Other
1
3
WEIGHT 1 / 2 –1 / 4 oz helps young birds to locate good members of this genus include many
(40–50 g) feeding sites by following adults. other flock-forming species, such as
HABITAT Coasts, Some waders, such as the purple the red knot and sanderling, most
marshes, tundra sandpiper and ruddy turnstone, of which travel as far north as the
DISTRIBUTION Arctic, subarctic (breeding); temperate frequently form mixed flocks. Arctic Ocean to breed.
and tropical coasts in N. hemisphere (non-breeding)
AERIAL MANEUVERS
In winter, flocks of dunlins create a Flocks of overwintering dunlins show
breathtaking spectacle, as they wheel extraordinary coordination, with thousands of
in the thousands over coastal feeding birds changing direction almost simultaneously.
grounds. Up close, the dunlin is a
typical calidrid wader, one of over two males usually have a black patch to the water’s edge, alternately
dozen similar species that feed on on the underside, which fades when pecking into the mud or
coasts worldwide. It has a compact they molt. Dunlins mainly eat small sand, and then running
body, narrow wings, a tapering tail, crustaceans and mollusks that live just forward at high speed.
and a black, finely pointed bill. Its beneath the surface of the shore. Dunlins breed in the Arctic
plumage is variable, but breeding When feeding, they usually stay close and subarctic, where they nest OCEAN LIFE