sanderling
Wave-chasing shorebird
A sanderling is a small, pale shorebird that runs along beaches at the water's edge, chasing retreating waves to probe the sand for tiny crustaceans and invertebrates.
Common on coastlines worldwide, sanderlings are recognizable by their quick, mechanical movements and tendency to feed in small flocks: We watched sanderlings dart back and forth with the surf.
Shallow-water walker
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- tidesPeriodic sea-level changes
- coastalOf the shoreline
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
tideline · beachcomber · invertebrates · crustaceans · mollusks · estuaries · mudflats · sandbanks
Movement to new territory
- flywayEstablished bird migration path
- ArcticEarth's northernmost zone
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
- long-distanceAcross great distances
navigation · seasonal · journey · stopover · hemispheric · biannual · departure · arrival
Bird's complete feather coat
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- wingbeatSingle wing oscillation
- avianOf or concerning birds
ornithology · birder · binoculars · twitching · ornithologist · species · nesting · eggs
wader
Shallow-water walker
intertidal · tideline · beachcomber · invertebrates · crustaceans · mollusks · estuaries · mudflats · sandbanks · wetlands
migration
Movement to new territory
- flywayEstablished bird migration path
- ArcticEarth's northernmost zone
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
long-distance · navigation · seasonal · journey · stopover · hemispheric · biannual · departure · arrival · endurance
plumage
Bird's complete feather coat
avian · ornithology · birder · binoculars · twitching · ornithologist · species · nesting · eggs · flock
scampering
Moving quickly, playfully
running · flocking · roosting · pecking · darting · retreat · advance · synchrony
- Arctic animalsarctic fox, arctic tern, polar bear, musk ox, caribou
- coastal wildlifepelican, grey seal, seagull, gull, dolphin
- migratory birdsarctic tern, Canada goose, barn swallow, snow goose, sandhill crane
- shorebirdssandpipers, plover, plovers, curlew, curlews
- seabirdspenguin, penguins, pelican, pelicans, seagull
- wading birdsheron, egret, herons, egrets, stilt
sanderlingbald eagle
White-headed North American raptor
pelican · albatross · great blue heron · herring gull · frigatebird