Sanderling

Sanderling
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Calidris alba

Malay Name: Kedidi Jari Tiga

Chinese Name: 三趾滨鹬

Range: Breeds in high Arctic areas of North America, Europe and Asia. In wintering months, it has a cosmopolitan distribution.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: alba, rubida.

Size: 18-21 cm

Identification: A smallish wader but bigger than the typical stints. Shortish thicker straight black bill. Blackish legs and feet and lacks hind toe. Breeding plumage shows rusty tones on upperparts, often with a frosty appearance when fresh. Looks similar to the smaller Red-necked Stints. In non-breeding plumage, distinctive combination of pale grey ear coverts and upperside, and snowy white underside. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but has darker streaks on crown and hindneck, blackish mantle and scapulars, boldly patterned with buffish-white and buff-washed breast with dark streaks on the side. Prominent bold white wing stripe in flight.

Habitat: Sandflats, mudflats, sandy beaches, sometimes salt pans.  More infrequently, it may occur on rocky shores.

Behaviour/Ecology: Running back-and-forth chasing waves and feeding actively in the sand by rapid probing and pecking.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

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Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Sanderling Calidris alba
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak week Nov 05-Nov 11
Early date 06 Jul 1996
Late date 25 Jun 1988
Most records of this rare wader in the last 10 years have been from the months of Oct-Nov.

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Calidris alba. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693369A86614145.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

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