Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Description: Sanderlings are a shore bird can be found in flocks along the Oregon Coast, especially during the non-breeding season. Often confused with their relatives the Western sandpiper, sanderlings have a small stout body with long black legs and a long narrow black beak. Sanderlings have a stark white chest and belly and sandy colored back. They are slightly larger than Western sandpipers and have a larger beak. They usually flock together in large groups in the surf zone to forage, and fly low over the beach when disturbed. Easily startled by people and dogs, it is easiest to spot this bird on less populated sections of beach such as Chapman Point, Silver Point, or Gearhart Beach.

Habitat: Sanderlings breed in the Arctic and spend the non-breeding season along the East and West coasts of North America, from Alaska and Newfoundland to Southern Mexico. Non-breeding adults may be found year round on the Oregon Coast.

Nesting: Forming colonies in the Arctic, sanderlings build nests on the ground near lakes and ponds. Females typically lay 4 green or brown eggs, and both parents incubate them for 24-31 days. Chicks are relatively independent upon hatching. They can forage for themselves within a few days and fledge at 17 days.

Diet: Sanderlings use their long beaks to find food in the sand along the water line. Mole crabs and other small invertebrates such as isopods and worms make up a majority of sanderlings diet.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Sanderlings have been known to occasionally lay two nests and have a male care for one nest while she or another male cares for the second nest.

• The Audubon Society predicts that if global temperatures increase by 3 degrees Celsius, sanderling will lose 97% of their range.

Reference: The Cornell Lab, Audubon