shorebird
Plover or curlew
A shorebird is a bird that frequents coastal areas, mudflats, and shallow waters—sandpipers, plovers, oystercatchers, and their relatives.
Most have long legs for wading and specialized bills for probing sand or mud for invertebrates.
The term is more common in American English; British usage prefers wader.
Small wading shorebird
- ploverCompact coastal wading bird
- sanderlingPale wave-following shorebird
- dunlinSmall coastal sandpiper
- curlewShorebird with downcurved bill
godwit · turnstone · whimbrel · yellowlegs · knot · oystercatcher · avocet · stilt
Exposed shore sediment
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- marshGrassy waterlogged lowland
- tidelineShore's flood boundary
sandbar · saltmarsh · lagoon · tidal flat · beach · inlet · mangrove · coastal
Amount owed, written
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
- legsLocomotion appendages below torso
- wingspanTip-to-tip extent
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
beak · probe · webbed feet · camouflage · long-billed · downcurved · breeding plumage · winter plumage
Established bird migration path
- stopoverBrief halt mid-journey
- breeding groundsSites where species reproduce
- ArcticEarth's northernmost zone
- winteringPassing the cold season
long-distance · navigation · seasonal · flock · transcontinental · hemisphere · staging area · refueling
Traversing shallow water on foot
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- probingThoroughly investigating something
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
- mollusksSoft-bodied invertebrates, often shelled
shallow water · mud · pecking · sandworms · amphipods · insects · larvae · bivalves
Making a dwelling
- roostingSettling to sleep aloft
- flockingGathering in crowds
- egg-layingReproducing via external ova
- chickYoung bird, especially poultry
brood · territorial · courtship display · broken-wing display · alarm call
Elimination of living spaces
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- wetland protectionSafeguarding saturated natural areas
population decline · monitoring · sanctuary · overharvesting · horseshoe crab
sandpiper
Small wading shorebird
- ploverCompact coastal wading bird
- sanderlingPale wave-following shorebird
- dunlinSmall coastal sandpiper
curlew · godwit · turnstone · whimbrel · yellowlegs · knot · oystercatcher · avocet · stilt · snipe
mudflat
Exposed shore sediment
tideline · sandbar · saltmarsh · lagoon · tidal flat · beach · inlet · mangrove · coastal · brackish
bill
Amount owed, written
feathers · beak · probe · webbed feet · camouflage · long-billed · downcurved · breeding plumage · winter plumage · preening
flyway
Established bird migration path
- stopoverBrief halt mid-journey
- breeding groundsSites where species reproduce
- ArcticEarth's northernmost zone
wintering · long-distance · navigation · seasonal · flock · transcontinental · hemisphere · staging area · refueling · banding
wading
Traversing shallow water on foot
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- probingThoroughly investigating something
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
mollusks · shallow water · mud · pecking · sandworms · amphipods · insects · larvae · bivalves · fiddler crabs
nesting
Making a dwelling
- roostingSettling to sleep aloft
- flockingGathering in crowds
- egg-layingReproducing via external ova
chick · brood · territorial · courtship display · broken-wing display · alarm call
habitat loss
Elimination of living spaces
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
wetland protection · population decline · monitoring · sanctuary · overharvesting · horseshoe crab
- coastal wildlifepelican, grey seal, seagull, gull, sandpiper
- migrantsmigrants, arctic tern, monarch butterfly, caribou, humpback whale
- migratory animalsCanada goose, geese, snow goose, ducks, sandhill crane
- bird typesraptor, waterfowl, gamebird, passerine
- coastal parkbeach, dune, cliff, cove, tide pool
- coastscliffs, coves, bays, shorelines, coastal plains