How to Identify a Sanderling

Sanderling Identification

A sanderling’s name is perhaps fitting, considering how its breeding plumage mimics the sand of its preferred beach habitat. About the size of an American robin, a sanderling’s tawny, speckled brown plumage stands out against its white lower half and black legs. Unlike some other shorebirds, its bill is short and stubby.

During nonbreeding season, sanderlings feature duller gray plumage on the head, back, and breast rather than rich brown.

Learn how to identify an American avocet.

Range and Habitat

Sanderlings pass through much of the Midwest and Great Plains regions of the United States as they migrate to or from their breeding grounds above the Arctic Circle. In winter, they’re commonly found along ocean coastlines, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts.

Within its range, birders would likely find a sanderling on sandy beaches, lakeshores, or rocky shorelines. While they tend to prefer coastlines, a few can show up on inland waters.

“While vacationing in Florida, we stopped at beautiful Honeymoon Island State Park, where there’s a plethora of shorebirds. Can you tell me what this one (above) is?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Kimberly Miskiewicz.

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “This is a classic sandpiper of sandy beaches, as reflected in its name: sanderling. Although sanderlings nest and raise their young on the tundra of the high Arctic, they migrate south to spend the winter on beaches all over the world, including as far south as Australia, Africa and South America. The coast of Florida is technically just part of the wintering range for this bird, but every year, some individuals stay through the summer instead of migrating north to the breeding grounds. So it’s possible to see sanderlings on the beaches of Honeymoon Island every season.”

Diet: What Do Sanderlings Eat?

These birds run after receding waves to pick up creatures left behind; this can include crabs, bristle worms, or horseshoe crab eggs. Sanderlings will also probe in sand or mud for food. When their preferred food sources are low, they’ll eat roots, grass seeds, and mosses.

Nesting Habits

Sanderling nests are usually situated along a pond or lake, in a spot with minimal vegetation. Females lay a clutch of three or four eggs, and have one brood per season. Eggs are incubated for slightly less than a month, and young have the capability to leave the nest soon after hatching.

Conservation and Population Numbers

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 2025 State of the Birds report lists sanderlings as an Orange Tipping Point species, meaning these birds have lost more than 50% of their population within the past decade and have seen accelerated declines. Cornell predicts sanderling declines are due to the development of coastline habitats, as well as oil spills and pesticides.

Sanderling Calls and Sounds

Calls include kip exclamations and chattering while gathered in flocks. Listen to the sanderling’s call below, courtesy of Cornell’s Macaulay Library.

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

READ ON: Look for plover birds both on (and off) the shore.

Sources

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Sanderling: Life History“
• National Audubon Society, “Field Guide: Sanderling“