Birds · Charadriiformes · Scolopacidae

Sanderling

Calidris alba

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The sanderling is the sandy-beach wader par excellence: it runs tirelessly after each retreating wave, pecking at the draining water, and flees at full speed from the next. In winter it is almost entirely white, the palest of the sandpipers. It breeds on the northernmost Arctic tundra and winters on beaches across five continents.

Weight

40 g – 100 g

Size

18 cm – 21 cm

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

TundraOceanPolarInsectivore Diurnal Variable activity Solitary Bird Tundra Ocean Polar

29countries 23parks13same family

Fun facts

It is the only sandpiper without a hind toe, which is where its Spanish name comes from: it has only three toes, an adaptation to running on firm sand.
It chases the backwash of each wave with astonishing precision, making use of the seconds in which the sand is saturated and the invertebrates are within reach near the surface.
It winters on beaches across five continents: a single bird may travel more than ten thousand kilometres between the Siberian tundra and a South African or Chilean beach.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Stony Arctic tundra for breeding; sandy beaches worldwide for wintering
Birth weight: Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours
Size at birth: Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 27 days
Litter / clutch size: 4