Page 180 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Scolopacidae Species Calidris alpina
Dunlin dull grey-brown
head and back
long, tapered
black bill, slightly
curved
thin white
wingbar
dull grey-streaked
breast
dark JUVENILE
centre to
white-sided
rump short black rich chestnut
IN FLIGHT legs and black
back
black and
cream stripes
on back
ADULT (WINTER)
fine dark
black streaks on large, squarish,
buff underside black belly patch streaks on
whitish
breast
JUVENILE
ADULT (SUMMER)
idespread and covering a variety of wetland habitats, the
WDunlin is the typical small wader of Europe, and is often used
as the yardstick to assess other species. In spring, the streaked adults FLIGHT: fast, dashing; flocks tight and well
look rather sleek, while autumn juveniles have a certain brightness coordinated, often sweeping way out over sea and
of colour and complexity of pattern.The Dunlin also has back again in spectacular manoeuvres.
a distinctive call that allows it to be identified easily.
VOICE Thin, reedy, vibrant shrree or rasping treerrr;
song-flight develops this into longer, trilled or
pulsating “pea whistle”.
NESTING Small, grass-lined, shallow scoop on ground
or in grassy tussock; 4 eggs; 1 brood; May–July.
FEEDING Plods rather lethargically, on mud or drier
shores, sometimes wading quite deeply, probing and
picking up worms, insects, and molluscs.
REMARK Subspecies C. a. alpina (N Scandinavia) has
long, curved bill and bright chestnut back in summer; WINTER ROOST
C. a. arctica (Greenland) has short bill and dull body; This group of Dunlins at high tide has been forced onto a small, exposed
C. a. schinzii (S Scandinavia and UK) has dull body. piece of rocky shore; when the tide recedes, they will disperse.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
In summer, breeds on wet moors,
larger paler back wet places on heaths, and
northern isles, right up to the
tundra, in far N and NW Europe.
white In all kinds of wet places from
on belly
greyer floods to wet fields but mostly
on large estuaries.
KNOT SANDERLING Seen in the UK
see p.176 see p.177 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 16–20cm (6 1 ⁄2 –8in) Wingspan 35–40cm (14–16in) Weight 40–50g (1 7 ⁄16 –1 3 ⁄4oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Common
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