Weekly critter: Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Nicknames: Red-backed sandpiper

Claim to fame: Dunlins are one of several types of shorebirds that can be seen on Ozarks mudflat areas in fall and winter. This starling-sized bird spend its spring and summer months in its breeding and nesting range in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of North America. In fall and winter, it migrates to this region and other areas in the central and southern United States.

Species status: North America’s Dunlin population is stable at present, but some biologists fear it’s declining because of the disappearance of wetland habitats in some parts of its range.

First discovered: The first scientific description of the dunlin was written in 1758 by the famed naturalist Carl Linnaeus. Dunlins are also found in several areas of Europe, a fact evident by their name, which combines the Celtic words “dun” (dune or hill) and “linne” (pool or pond).

Family matters: Dunlins belong to the bird family Scolopacidae, a large group which includes a number of shorebird species.

Length: between eight and nine inches (wing-span of 17 inches)

Diet: Dunlins eat mollusks, worms and crustaceans. It moves along mudflat areas bobbing its head in a “sewing machine” motion as it methodically picks food items out of the mud. Dunlins in Arctic regions have, on occasion, been observed ingesting lemming teeth. It’s presumed this is used as a source of calcium for eggshell formation. (This trait is not unique to dunlins; several other shorebird species have also been observed doing this.)

Weight: between two and three ounces

Distinguishing characteristics: In winter, dunlins are grayish-brown above with whitish breasts. In breeding plumage, it has a large black area on its belly, a rufous cap and a rufous back. Juvenile dunlins have reddish back, a more “scaly” appearance to its back feathers and brownish-black splotches on the belly. Like all shorebirds, it has a longer bill which is well-suited for digging invertebrate creatures out of muddy shores of lakes and wetland areas. A dunlin’s call is something of a raspy “krreee.”

Habitat: Dunlins breed in wet coastal tundra.