|
Dunlin Calidris alpina Playero Espalda Colorada,
|
 |
|
Non-breeding plumage -
Photo: G. Beaton
|
|
Dunlin Calidris alpina Playero Espalda Colorada,
|
|
|
Non-breeding plumage -
Photo: G. Beaton
|
|
IDENTIFICATION: In breeding plumage, the Dunlin has a reddish back and a black patch on the belly. In non-breeding plumage, the undersides are white and the upper parts are light gray. The tip of the bill droops slightly downward. Length: 16-22 cm.; weight: 48-64 g. VOICE: A deep "kreep" call note. Audio (M. Oberle). HABITAT: Wetlands, estuaries and beaches in winter. HABITS: Feeds on insect larvae, clams, worms and small crustaceans. On the tundra breeding grounds in North America, the male stakes out a territory, just as the snow starts to melt in late May or early June. The female lays four eggs in a cup-shaped nest hidden in grasses or lichens. Both parents incubate the eggs over 20-22 days. The chicks walk out of the nest soon after hatching, and both parents will brood the chicks and lead them to food. A few days after the chicks hatch, the female leaves the chicks, and the male cares for them for about two weeks. Young birds start to fly 18-26 days after hatching. Unlike many other shorebird species, adult and juvenile Dunlin often migrate together. STATUS AND CONSERVATION: Rare winter visitor, e.g., 14 November 2001, Cabo Rojo salt flats. A favorite prey of Merlins and Peregrines in winter. RANGE: Breeds on the tundra of Alaska, northern Canada and Eurasia. Most North American breeding birds winter along the coast of southern Canada, the USA and northern Mexico. TAXONOMY: CHARADRIIFORMES; SCOLOPACIDAE; Scolopacinae. Formerly called the Red-backed Sandpiper. |
|
 |
|
Non-breeding plumage -
Photo: G. Beaton
|
 |
|
|
Breeding plumage - Photo:
G. Beaton
|
 |
|
|
Juvenile - Photo: M. Oberle*
|
 |
|
|
Nest in Arctic - Photo: M. Oberle
|
|
References Bent, A.C. 1927. Life histories of North American shore birds, part 1. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 142. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1962). Borowik, O. A. and D. A. McLennan. 1999. Phylogenetic patterns of parental care in calidridine sandpipers. Auk 116(4):1107-1117. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1996. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 3. Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Grear, J. and Collazo, J. A. 1999. Habitat use by migrant shorebirds in a tropical salt flat system. Vida Silvestre Neotropical 7(1):15-22. Hayman, P., J. Marchant, and T. Prater. 1986. Shorebirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Norton, D. W. 1972. Incubation schedules of four species of calidridine sandpipers at Barrow, Alaska. The Condor 74:164-176. Paulson, D. 1993. Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest. Univ Washington, Seattle. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR. Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton. Warnock, N. D, and R. E. Gill. 1996. Dunlin (Calidris alpina). No. 203 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, PA, and Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, DC. Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |
|