Sanderling

Description:

[from All About Birds] Size & Shape Sanderlings are small, plump sandpipers with a stout bill about the same length as the head. These and other sandpipers in the genus Calidris are often called “peeps”; Sanderlings are medium-sized members of this group. Color Pattern You’ll most often see Sanderlings in nonbreeding plumage, when they are very pale overall: light gray above and white below, with a blackish mark at the shoulder. In spring and summer, Sanderlings are spangled black, white, and rich rufous on the head, neck, and back. At all times, their legs and bills are black. In flight, white wingstripes contrast with dark wings.

Habitat:

During migration and winter, they forage on beaches but will also use mudflats. Sanderlings nest in the High Arctic on gravel patches and low-growing, wet tundra.