Dunlin in nonbreeding plumage

Dunlin Images, Facts and Information:

Calidris alpina

  • Dunlins are medium sized sandpipers with short necks, long drooping bills and black legs.
  • In breeding plumage they have a black belly and red back and in nonbreeding plumage they are a dull brownish gray with a creamy white belly.
  • Their diet includes insects, small crustaceans, marine worms and small fish.
  • Dunlins breed in the Arctic and sub-Arctic tundra from Alaska to the Hudson Bay. They spend the winter along the coasts from southern Alaska southward into Mexico.
  • Dunlins lay 4 eggs which take 20 to 23 days to hatch, both sexes incubate.
  • Nicknames for Dunlins include Red-backed Sandpiper and Old Red Back.
  • Dunlins can live up to 24 years.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Dunlin photos.

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