Common, but with uncommon beauty
In its everyday plumage, the dunlin (Calidris alpina) is a dull grayish, brownish speckled shorebird that’s a common sight across the United States, where it winters on both east and west coasts and into Alaska. It’s the species to which other wading shorebirds are often compared.
But its breeding plumage is something stunning, and for a short time each year it’s one of the most beautiful shorebirds around.
In their breeding finery, both male and female dunlins sport a reddish cap, bright reddish-brown back, pale brown head and breast and a large black belly patch that extends behind their black legs – the only marking of its kind among similar-sized shorebirds.
As with other shorebirds, the dunlin also uses a “sewing machine” motion to capture molluscs, worms and crustaceans along sandy beaches.
Dunlins prefer the company of their flocks – and are mesmerizing to watch when large numbers swoop and turn in synchronized flight.
Visit the Audubon Field Guide for more information on this iconic shorebird.
You can see a dunlin in our Aviary. You might also spot one while viewing our Aviary Cam.
Our thanks to National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore for the wonderful images of our animals that he created for his PhotoArk project.
