shorebirds
Coastal feathered foragers
Shorebirds are wading birds that live and feed along coastlines, mudflats, and wetlands.
The category includes sandpipers, plovers, oystercatchers, and similar species that probe sand and mud for invertebrates.
They're often seen in flocks at low tide or during seasonal migrations along beaches and estuaries.
Small wading shorebird
- ploverCompact coastal wading bird
- sanderlingPale wave-following shorebird
- dunlinSmall coastal sandpiper
- curlewShorebird with downcurved bill
whimbrel · godwit · avocet · stilt · oystercatcher · turnstone · snipe · yellowlegs
Amount owed, written
- legsLocomotion appendages below torso
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
- webbedConnected by membrane
long-legged · beak · wings · stilts · probing · wingspan · downy · breeding plumage
Coastal areas exposed at low tide
- estuariesRiver-sea meeting points
- marshesWaterlogged land with grasses
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- tidalOf sea rhythms
beaches · lagoons · sandbars · intertidal · saltmarsh · mangroves · dunes · rockpools
Traversing shallow water on foot
- flockingGathering in crowds
- migrationMovement to new territory
- nestingMaking a dwelling
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
roosting · preening · territorial · brooding · ground-nesting · chicks · eggs · breeding
Animals without vertebral columns
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
- mollusksSoft-bodied invertebrates, often shelled
- wormsLimbless burrowing invertebrates
- probingThoroughly investigating something
pecking · aquatic insects · small fish · shellfish · sandworms · filter-feeding · gleaning · prey
Observing wild avians recreationally
- binocularsHandheld dual-lens magnifier
- ornithologyScientific study of birds
- field guidePortable species identification manual
- spotting scopeHigh-powered observation monocular
conservation · endangered · ornithologist · species identification · wildlife photography · Audubon · banding
sandpiper
Small wading shorebird
- ploverCompact coastal wading bird
- sanderlingPale wave-following shorebird
- dunlinSmall coastal sandpiper
curlew · whimbrel · godwit · avocet · stilt · oystercatcher · turnstone · snipe · yellowlegs · killdeer
bill
Amount owed, written
- legsLocomotion appendages below torso
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
webbed · long-legged · beak · wings · stilts · probing · wingspan · downy · breeding plumage · cryptic
mudflats
Coastal areas exposed at low tide
- estuariesRiver-sea meeting points
- marshesWaterlogged land with grasses
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
tidal · beaches · lagoons · sandbars · intertidal · saltmarsh · mangroves · dunes · rockpools · coastline
wading
Traversing shallow water on foot
foraging · roosting · preening · territorial · brooding · ground-nesting · chicks · eggs · breeding · flyways
invertebrates
Animals without vertebral columns
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
- mollusksSoft-bodied invertebrates, often shelled
- wormsLimbless burrowing invertebrates
probing · pecking · aquatic insects · small fish · shellfish · sandworms · filter-feeding · gleaning · prey · silt
birdwatching
Observing wild avians recreationally
- binocularsHandheld dual-lens magnifier
- ornithologyScientific study of birds
- field guidePortable species identification manual
spotting scope · conservation · endangered · ornithologist · species identification · wildlife photography · Audubon · banding
- bird huntingduck hunting, goose hunting, pheasant hunting, quail hunting, shotguns
- beachbeach, sand, wave, waves, surf
- birdsrobin, crow, eagle, owl, duck
- coastal lifedolphins, pelicans, lighthouses, seagulls, fishing
- beach soundswaves, crashing waves, wave crash, surf, seagulls
- birdwatchingbirders, birdwatchers, ornithologists, binoculars, field guides
shorebirdsseabirds
Ocean-dwelling avians
raptors · birds of prey · landbirds · songbirds · perching birds
shorebirdsdiving birds
Birds that submerge hunting
waterfowl · penguins · auks · cormorants · gamebirds