For Anyone Interested in the Wildlife of the U.K.
Sanderlings
Scientific name: Calidris alba
Size: Approximately 20cm long.
Distribution: Found around most of the UK coastline
Months seen: August to March. During the summer months Sanderlings return to the high arctic to breed (Canada, Greenland, Siberia)
Habitat: Sandy coastline, estuaries, mud flats and coastal pools
Food: Worms, molluscs and crustaceans
Special features: In wintertime Sanderlings have predominantly light grey plumage on their upper parts and spotless white plumage below. During the summer months the plumage on their backs and head is a reddish-brown - more noticable in the males. The beak and legs are black. In flight they have a large white wing bar which runs the full length of the wing.
As they have no backward pointing toes they are very fast runners on the ground.
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