Dunlin
by
Shop
Calidris alpina
Scarce & local breeder of 9,000 pairs, commoner as a migrant & winter visitors in Britain.
Breeds mainly on moorland of the Scottish Highlands.
Also on Tundra bogs in Central & Northern Europe, Siberia, Greenland & North America.
Winters around the coasts in Africa & Mexico.
Breeding Adults have the distinctive black belly which no other similar-sized wader possesses.
In Winter, they are greyish-brown above and white below.
Juveniles are brown above with two weak whitish "V" shapes on the back.
They usually have black marks on the flanks or belly.
In flight, they have a white wingbar.
The legs and slightly decurved bill are black.
The call is a typical sandpiper "chreep", and the display song a harsh trill.