|
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
At-a-Glance
• Incubation: 21-22 days
• Clutch Size: 4 eggs
• Young Fledge: 19-21 days after hatching
• Typical Foods: aquatic invertebrates
|
|
Description
In the spring, these birds are gorgeous, with rich rufous-red backs and black bellies. Fall birds are more somber, but can be distinguished by their long, downcurved bills.
Habitat and Habits
Dunlin inhabit mudflats, shorelines and flooded fields. They often forage belly deep in water. Dunlins almost always occur in flocks, sometimes numbering into the thousands. They can be quite hardy, often remaining in Ohio into the early winter. Their most common call is a loud, harsh, grating jeer jeer; flocks in flight often create a mini-cacophony of sound.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
The nest is a clump of grass on a dry hummock on the open tundra. The eggs are olive in color, blotched with brown.
|
|