Sanderling

Name: Sanderling

Scientific name: Calidris alba

Category: Birds

Nature Stars: 50

What are nature stars?

About: A medium sized sandpiper, about 20cm long. In the winter they are silvery grey, almost white with a bright white belly. Sanderlings have a medium-length straight black bill and black legs. Sanderling feed at the edge of the tide, scampering back and forth

How to identify: Similar to Knot, but smaller and paler, with a dark patch on the shoulder and with black, not greenish legs. Best recognised by their behaviour, scampering about on the beach rather than walking and probing in the mud.

Where: A common winter visitor to our coasts.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 40
• Agility: 60
• Rarity: 50
• Cute factor: 50
• Traveller: 80

Fantastic fact: Sanderling only have three toes on each foot: they are missing the hind toe, which makes running easier.

Photograph credit: Photo credit tbc