Alice Springs — Sanderling

Alice Springs Birds •

Alice Springs Birds > Alice Springs Birds Index

A small wading bird, the Sanderling (Calidris alba) breeds in Siberia, then migrates south along the East-Asia–Australasian Flyway until it reaches the shores of Australia. They have a preference for exposed sandy beaches that are subject to ocean swells. Hotspots for seeing the Sanderling include the coastlines on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and at Discovery Bay in south-western Victoria.

Pictured here is a rare sighting of the Sanderling (Calidris alba) at the Alice Springs Sewerage Treatment Ponds (aka Alice Springs Poo Ponds).

The Sanderling is a small, pale grey wader, the upper body is grey, with white below. The bill is dark is thick at the base and slightly drooped at the tip. The legs are short and black and lacks a hind toe. In flight you can see a prominent white wingbar. During breeding, the head, neck and breast plumage is rufous.

More information in our Fauna | Birds | Waders | Sanderling.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Informal: Gnathostomata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Charadriiformes
• Family: Scolopacidae
• Subfamily: Calidrinae
• Genus: Calidris
• Subgenus: infrageneric Crocethia
• Species: Calidris alba

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