Shorebirds

Birds that live and feed along beaches, mudflats and other shorelines, such as sandpipers, plovers and avocets.

12 entries

American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaAn elegant shorebird with blue legs and a long, upturned bill that it sweeps through shallow water to catch food.American Golden PloverPluvialis dominicaA speckled gold-and-black shorebird that may fly about 20,000 miles a year between the Arctic and South America.American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatusA chunky black-and-white shorebird with a bright red-orange bill that it jabs into shells to eat oysters and clams.Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanusA black-and-white wading bird whose long pink legs are, for its size, longer than any bird's except a flamingo's.DunlinCalidris alpinaA drooping-billed sandpiper with a black belly patch in summer that flies in swirling flocks up to 55 mph.Red KnotCalidris canutusA robin-sized shorebird that flies up to about 19,000 miles a year and refuels on horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay.Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresA sturdy, orange-legged shorebird that flips over stones and shells to find food, true to its name.SanderlingCalidris albaThe world's most widespread sandpiper, the little bird that runs back and forth chasing waves on sandy beaches.Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatusA small, plump plover with a black 'necklace' and partly webbed toes that nests in the sub-Arctic.Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaA sparrow-sized sandpiper that can double its weight before flying nonstop up to 2,000 miles over the ocean.Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusA chunky shorebird whose 'short' bill is twice as long as its head; it probes mud like a sewing machine.Wattled JacanaJacana jacanaA 'lily trotter' with enormously long toes for walking on floating plants; fathers raise the chicks.