The dunlin is a small sandpiper, which can be found at the coast all year round, preferring estuaries, where it seeks out insects, worms and molluscs to eat. In winter, it feeds in large flocks and roosts in nearby fields and saltmarshes. In summer, it breeds in the uplands of the UK, with large numbers in the Western and Northern Isles of Scotland, and the Pennines in England.
How to identify
Sandpipers can be a difficult group of birds to get to grips with. The dunlin is unmistakeable in its summer plumage: adults are brick-red above, with a black belly patch. In its winter plumage, the dunlin is grey above and white underneath, looking very much like the sanderling. It is a little smaller, however, and has a longer, down-curved bill.
Did you know?
The common name, dunlin, comes from this birds' habit of nesting in upland moors and bogs: 'dun' is an old Gaelic word for hill and 'linne' means pool or pond.
