Sanderling
Learn to identify the Sanderling by ear. Master the "prrrp-prrrp-prrrp" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Sanderling sounds like
Small wick and kip notes flicker past, with a few delicate twittering runs mixed in.
How to tell it apart
Lessons featuring the Sanderling
Ready to test your ear? Practice identifying the Sanderling's sounds in this interactive in-app lesson.
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Where you'll hear it
Breeds in the High Arctic circumpolar region. Migrates along nearly every ocean shoreline and winters on temperate to tropical coasts on every continent except Antarctica.
Open sandy ocean beaches, tidal flats, and occasionally inland lakeshores during migration. Nests on dry, sparsely vegetated Arctic tundra ridges near ponds.
Breeding: late May–July in the Arctic; southbound migration July–November; wintering November–March; northbound migration March–June.
How to recognize it by sight
The Sanderling is a small, energetic sandpiper famous for its habit of chasing waves up and down sandy beaches. In non-breeding plumage it looks almost snow-white, earning its Latin name alba. During the brief Arctic summer it molts into a warm rusty plumage for nesting on the high tundra.
Similar species
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Smaller bill, partial webbing between toes (not visible in field), darker cap, and shows stronger breast streaking in fall.
Dunlin
Slightly larger, drooping bill tip, has a distinctive black belly patch in breeding plumage.
Red Knot
Much larger, thicker bill, rich brick-red underparts in breeding season, steadier feeding gait rather than rapid sprinting.