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  • Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin (summer plumage)
Dunlin (summer plumage)
Dunlin (juvenile)
Dunlin (juvenile)
Dunlin (winter plumage)
Dunlin (winter plumage)
  • Scientific name: Calidris alpina
  • Bird family: Sandpipers, snipes and phalaropes
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Audio

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Patrik Aberg, Xeno-canto

Key information

The commonest small wader found along the coast. It has a slightly down-curved bill and a distinctive black belly patch in breeding plumage. It feeds in flocks in winter, sometimes numbering thousands, roosting on nearby fields, saltmarshes and shore when the tide is high.

What they eat:

Insects, snails and worms.

Measurements:

Length:
16-20cm
Wingspan:
35-40cm
Weight:
40-50g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
9,600 pairs
UK wintering:
350,000 birds

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Dunlin (summer plumage)

Dunlin, breeding plumage
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey White
Leg colour: Black
Beak: Black Long Curved Thin
Natural habitats: Grassland Heathland Marine and intertidal Upland Wetland

Dunlin (winter plumage)

Dunlin, winter plumage
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey White
Leg colour: Black
Beak: Black Long Curved Thin
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Marine and intertidal Wetland

Similar birds:

Adult curlew sandpiper
Curlew sandpiper
Knot, summer plumage
Knot
Little stint
Little stint

Where and when to see them

Dunlins breed in the uplands of Scotland, Wales and England. Greatest numbers can be found on the Western and Northern Isles and the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland in Scotland, in the Pennines in England. They are found on all UK estuaries with largest numbers in winter.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Dunlin distribution map

Dunlins can be seen all year round on the coast and on breeding grounds from April to July.

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RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Adur Estuary
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  • RSPB Nigg Bay
  • RSPB Stanford Wharf
  • RSPB Stour Estuary
  • RSPB Langstone Harbour
  • RSPB Forsinard Flows
  • RSPB Loch na Muilne

Video

Footage of dunlins by the water.

Footage of dunlins by the water.

Dunlin video screenshot

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You might also be interested in

Dunlin Calidris alpina on the artificial lagoon; high tide wader roost at Freiston Shore RSPB reserve, The Wash, Lincolnshire, England.

Dunlin migration

Dunlins arrive in the UK from Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia.
RSPB Giving Nature a Home Campaign

Homes for Nature Fund 2017

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RSPB Giving Nature a Home Campaign

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