The dunlin (Calidris alpina) is a small wading bird. The English name of this bird is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531-1532. It derives from dun, "dull brown", with the suffix -ling, meaning a person or thing with the given quality.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
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VermivorousVermivore (from Latin vermi, meaning "worm" and vorare, "to devour") is a zoological term for animals that eat worms (including annelids, nematodes...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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Wading birdsWading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withAn adult dunlin in breeding plumage shows the distinctive black belly that no other similar-sized wader possesses. In winter, dunlins are grayish-brown above and white below. Juveniles are brown above with two weak whitish "V" shapes on the back. They usually have black marks on the flanks or belly. All ages show a narrow white wingbar in flight. The legs and slightly decurved bill are black. The subspecies differ mainly in the extent of rufous plumage the size of the black belly patch in the breeding season, and the bill length; in winter there are no subspecific distinctions in the plumage, with only the bill length providing a limited guide. Bill length varies between sexes, with females having longer bills than males, further complicating winter subspecies identification. On the tip of the dunlin's bill is a soft covering that fills with blood and has many nerve endings, forming a sensitive probe that is used to locate invertebrate prey in mud and sand.
Dunlins breed in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in western Europe are short-distance migrants largely staying on western and southern European and northwest African coasts; those breeding in far northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Birds that breed in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic migrate short distances to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, although those nesting in northern Alaska overwinter in Asia. Dunlins inhabit tundra, wet coastal grasslands, salt marshes, estuarine mudflats, freshwater and brackish wetlands, lakes, sandy beaches, and often roost in fields.
Dunlins are highly gregarious birds in winter and sometimes form large flocks. Large numbers can often be seen swirling in synchronized flight on stop-overs during migration or in their winter habitat. Dunlins feed during the day moving along the coastal mudflat beaches with a characteristic "sewing machine" feeding action, methodically picking small food items. Their call is a typical sandpiper 'chreep', and when performing courtship display they produce a harsh trill.
Dunlins are carnivores (insectivores, molluscivores, vermivores). They eat insects, mollusks, worms, and crustaceans in coastal areas.
Dunlins are monogamous and form pairs. They usually breed from late May to mid-July. Their nest is a shallow scrape on the ground lined with vegetation. The female typically lays 4 eggs and both parents incubate them for about 21-22 days. Chicks are precocial but are brooded during early development. They start to fly at approximately 3 weeks of age. The majority of brood care is provided by the male, as the female deserts the brood and often leaves the breeding area.
The exact reasons for the dunlin population decline are not known but the birds suffer from habitat loss, climate change, oil refineries, and disturbance from fishing industries.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the dunlin is 3,000,000-7,000,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...