(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - sanderling
OTHER COMMON NAMES - ruddy plover, beach-bird, surf snipe, white snipe, bull peep and whitey
ELEMENT CODE - 07/19/84
AOU CODE - 08/29/86
CATEGORY - Birds
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata,
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Aves,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Charadriiformes,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Scolopacidae, Calidridinae
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Calidris,
SPECIES AND SSP - alba,
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Calidris alba
AUTHORITY - Pallas
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 3607 and 541
COMMENTS ON TAXONOMY -
AKA: ruddy plover, beach-bird, surf snipe, white snipe,
beach plover, whitey, bull peep *607*
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
STATUS
Coded Status
Federal Migratory
Nongame-Protected
REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 3609 and 758
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
References on County Occurrence - 001, 131, 199, 550, 650, 700, 710, 740, 800, 810 and CB1
References on County Abundance - 001, 131, 199, 550, 650, 700, 710, 740, 800, 810, CB1 and 999
REFERENCES FOR HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODES - 001, 131, 199, 550, 650, 700, 710, 740, 800, 810 and CB1
OTHER DISTRIBUTION
REFERENCES FOR OTHER DISTRIBUTION - H
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
HABITAT - Terrestrial
REFERENCES FOR HABITAT - 541
REFERENCES FOR FSIZE - 3609 and 541
LAND USE -
Streams and Canals
Reservoirs
Water
Lakes
Bays and Estuaries
Wetland
Nonforested Wetland
Barren Land
Beaches
Sandy Areas other than Beaches
Mixed Barren Land
REFERENCES FOR LAND USE - 6069, 4182, 4652, 609, 619, 3606, 3607, 3609, 541 and 1082
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Marine, intertidal FL2
Estuarine, intertidal FL2
Palustrine
Riverine
Lacustrine
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 4182, 4652 and 541
ANIMAL/PLANT SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
541
POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION -
065 Northern Cordgrass Prairie (Distichlis-Spartina)
101 Oak - Hickory - Pine Forest (Quercus-Carya-Pinus)
103 Southern Floodplain Forest (Quercus-Nyssa-Taxodium)
REFERENCES FOR PNV - 609
ECOREGION -
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Flat Plains
REFERENCES FOR ECOREGION - 609
Habitat Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
Carnivore
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 541
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
General Malacostraca Juvenile stage
General Copepods Adult stage
General Crustaceans Adult stage
General Crustaceans Juvenile stage
General Molluscs Adult stage
General Insects Larva stage
General Insects Pupa stage
General Insects Adult stage
General Branchiopods Adult stage
General Malacostraca Adult stage
General Annelids Adult stage
General Diptera Larva stage
General Diptera Adult stage
General Other Plant Species Fruit/Seeds
General Saxifragaceae Buds
General Lycopsida Leaves/Needles
General Chlorophyta Bole/Stem
General Chlorophyta Leaves/Needles
General Chlorophyta Rhizome
General Ostracods Adult stage
General Polychaetes Adult stage
General Plants Bole/Stem
General Plants Leaves/Needles
General Plants Rhizome
General Plants Buds
General Plants Fruit/Seeds
General Tracheophyta Bole/Stem
General Tracheophyta Leaves/Needles
General Tracheophyta Rhizome
General Tracheophyta Buds
General Tracheophyta Fruit/Seeds
General Angiospermae Buds
General Dicotyledoneae Buds
General Animals Larva stage
General Animals Pupa stage
General Animals Juvenile stage
General Animals Adult stage
General Spermopsida Buds
Juvenile Animals Larva stage
Juvenile Animals Pupa stage
Juvenile Insects Larva stage
Juvenile Insects Pupa stage
Adult Bryophyta Not Specified
Adult Plants Fruit/Seeds
Adult Polychaetes Not Specified
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
Adult Crustaceans Not Specified
Adult Insects Not Specified
Adult Diptera Adult stage
Adult Diptera Larva stage
Adult Molluscs Not Specified
Adult Ostracods Not Specified
Adult Siphonaptera Not Specified
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 3609, 3606, 3607 and 541
REFERENCES FOR ADULT FOOD - 541 and 1169
REFERENCES FOR JUVENILE FOOD - 3609
Food Habits - 2 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G Substrate: Sand
G Relation to Substrate: Occurs on substrate [not penetrating]
G Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Sand
G Stability of Bottom: Unstable
G Density of Aquatic Vegetation: Low
G Aquatic Habitat Zonation: Shallows with emergent vegetation [littoral zone]
G Water Level: Permanently flooded areas
G Elevation: Below sea level
G Elevation: 0-100 ft.
G Elevation: 100-300 ft.
G Soil Needs: Sand
G Soil Needs: Clay
G Soil Drainage: Well drained
G Terrestrial Features: Ridges
G Terrestrial Features: Bare ground
G Coastal Features: Sand beaches
G Coastal Features: Sand bars
G Coastal Features: Mudflats
G Coastal Features: Dunes
G Coastal Features: Hind-dune
G Coastal Features: Sandy offshore islands
G Aquatic Features: Pool areas
G Aquatic Features: Backwaters
G Inland Wetlands: Inland shallow fresh marshes
G Inland Wetlands: Inland open fresh water
G Coastal Wetlands: Coastal shallow fresh marsh
G Coastal Wetlands: Coastal open fresh water
G Coastal Wetlands: Sounds and bays
G Percent Canopy Closure of Preferred Trees: Specified in Comments
G Vegetations Successional Stage: Sand dune
G Human Association: Wildlife refuges/sanctuaries
REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 609, 619, 3606, 3607, 3609, 541 and 1082
COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS -
00740S=0% *541*
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: breeding adults-crown and
hindneck=cinnamon rufous to rusty streaked with dusky and grayish white;
sides of head and neck=similar but paler; foreneck and chest=same but
barred; chin, throat, underparts=mostly pure white with some spotting on
the sides of the breast; scapulars=black centrally with pale whitish or
brownish margins; rump and median tail coverts=brownish gray with white
borders, the white increasing laterally; tail feathers=mostly gray with
white margins, the outermost pair being largely white; wing
coverts=mostly dusky with whitish margins but the greater coverts are
brownish gray with broad white tips; secondaries=white on basal half and
edged with white; primaries=dusky with the inner ones having
considerable white on the basal parts of the outer webs; eye=dark brown;
bill=black; legs and toes=black; hind toe absent *541*; winter
adult-crown, back, upper wing coverts=gray with dusky shaft streaks;
anterior lesser coverts=dusky; underparts=white superciliary stripe
*541*; juveniles-crown and back=blackish spotted with whitish buff; wing
coverts=have wide buffy fringes; underparts=white with buffy wash on
breast *541*; sexes alike *1082*; length=18-20 cm *609*; average
length=20.5 cm *1082*; weight, female=52-62 g, male=50-62 g *541*; wing,
male=113-125 mm, female=113-137 mm *541*; culmen, male=23-26 mm,
female=24-28 mm *541*; often stand or hop on one leg; flock with
themselves or in groups with knots, small plovers, and other species;
flight is swift, direct and low over water *3609*; REPRODUCTION:
breeding season=mid-June to early July *1082*; arrive on breeding
grounds near end of May and in late June *541*; incubation period=23-24
days *3607*; both birds may incubate *3609*; incubation begins when
clutch complete *541*; male may leave female, help with incubation or
raise brood alone while female initiates a second clutch *541*;
reproductive periods/year=double clutch *541*; breeding behavior=during
courtship the male rises with rapid wingbeats and then begins a short
downward flight, uttering a song as he descends *3607*; monogamous; old
pair bonds may be reestablished; pairs form soon after migrant flocks
break up; flight display is a mate advertisement device that ceases with
formation of pair bond; bird ascends to a height of 30-60 feet, then
levels off and begins to fly with rapidly vibrating wings alternated
with brief glides with the head drawn back into body, song uttered in
bursts; bird descends within 200 yards of point of takeoff; ground
display of male=following female with hunched head, drooping wings,
erected feathers, tail feathers spread and depressed *541*; clutch
size=4 eggs *1082*; sometimes 3 eggs *541*; egg=light olive brown
speckled and spotted with different shades of brown, chiefly at large
end *607*; 35.7 X 24.7 mm *3609*; 11.2 g; egg=20.5% of female's body
weight; eggs laid at 26-29 hour intervals *541*; BEHAVIOR:
territoriality=portion of level or sloping ground above which flight
displays are performed and includes an area about 400 yards in diameter;
territorial behavior has been observed but not all individuals establish
territories *541*; breeding density=low; 3-4 pairs/square mile *541*;
migration=found on sandy shores during migration *1082*; flies over
ocean, rests on water *607*; during migration found on beaches and about
large bodies of water in the interior *619*; spring migration begins
March to late April; fall migration begins in August *3609*; food and
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
foraging=carnivore *541*; feeds in backwash of waves; whole flock moves
in to ebbing water to feed and retreats before next wave *3606*; may
also search and probe on beach *3606*; probe in wet sand for tiny
animals and snatch those exposed by the washing of the waves *617*; feed
in wet sand by running quickly and producing a series of closely spaced
shallow probes; on wintering areas they typically forage in small flocks
on sandy areas of tidal flats, usually in groups of up to 10 birds
*541*; juvenile foods=insect larvae and nymphs *3609*; foods include
young stages of burrowing sand crabs, amphipods *3606*; small
crustaceans, molluscs, insects and larvae *3607*; sandfleas, shrimp,
marine worms, flies and larvae, seeds, buds of saxifrage, moss, algae
*3609*; midge, mosquito, and cranefly larvae, sand flies, ostracods,
polychaete worms *541*; nesting and nest site=Arctic, circumpolar *609*;
eastern Greenland, parts of northern Siberia and its offshore islands,
also parts of arctic Canada, Alaska, northwest Spitsbergen *1082*; high
Arctic *541*; stony tundra *609*; stony, sparsely vegetated regions of
the Arctic tundra, often near water *3607*; gravel ridges; near
freshwater, usually a lake or pond *3609*; rock desert and barren tundra
with scant vegetation; not far from freshwater but some distance from
coast; stony well-drained ridges, gently slopes or level alluvial
plains; less than 200 feet above sea level *541*; stony or clay soils in
moor and marsh areas *3609*; nest=deep scrape close to thick vegetation
and sparsely lined with leaves *1082*; nest cover=Arctic willow *3609*;
cover=Salix arctica, Dryas octopetala, Saxifraga oppositifolia; nest
placed between bare clay lumps on moss *3609*; nest placed in open
situation; fully exposed to sky *541*; care and development of
young=young leave the nest a few hours after hatching and are looked
after by both parents for a few weeks *3607*; female leads intruders
away from nest and also protects hatched brood; male leaves female after
eggs hatch; female guards young for 12-14 days; leads young to
freshwater beaches; female broods young in cold or wet weather; young
are precocial *3609*; fledging period=17 days *541*; non-breeding
habitat and behavior=winters from United States, Britain, China to
Southern Hemisphere *609*; winters along both United States' coasts
*3606*; outer beaches, tideflats, lakeshores *609*; sandy shores *1082*;
large bays; sandy substrate *3606*; flat sandy beaches, mudbanks,
estuaries; rare inland *3607*; gregarious, mix with other flocking
species present; under rough conditions they mass together on the high
beach or gather in small groups in the lee of nearby dunes *3606*; rest
on crest of beach or dunes behind it *3609*; when approached, generally
runs rather than flying away; lives in groups that are more or less
continously active *3607*; ORIGIN: native *609*
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 609, 1082, 607, 619, 3606, 617, 3607, 3609 and 541
Life History - 2 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Beneficial Developing/maintaining mudflats
Beneficial Controlling water levels
Adverse Draining wetlands, marshes, ponds, lakes
REFERENCES FOR BENEFICIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 4684 and 4685
REFERENCES FOR ADVERSE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 4469
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species sanderling
Species Id M040145
Date 26 AUG 96
References
541* Johnsgard, P.A. 1981. The Plovers, Sandpipers, and Snipes
of the World. Univ. Nebrasks Press Lincoln:493.
607* Pearson, G.T. (ed.)1936. Birds of America. Garden City
Publ. Co. Garden City, N.Y:260.
609* Peterson, R.T. 1980. Birds of eastern and central North
America. 4th Ed.. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, Mass:384.
617* Potter, E.F., Parnell, J.F., Teulings, R.P. 1980. Birds of
the Carolinas. Univ. N.C. Press Chapel Hill, N.C:408.
619* Reed, C.A. 1965. North American Bird Eggs. Dover Publ.,
Inc. New York, N.Y:372.
758* (ed.)1982. Fish and wildlife. 50 CFR 10 (Code of Federal
Regulations). General Serv. Admin. Washington, D.C:7.
1082* Soothill, E., Soothill, R. 1982. Wading Birds of the
World. Blandford Press Puole and Dorset, England:232-233.
1169* Bent, A.C. 1927. Life histories of North American shore
birds. Part I. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. No. 142:420.
3606* Cogswell, H.L. 1977. WATER BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA. University
of California Press Berkeley, CA:334.
3607* Gooders, J. 1979. BIRDS OF MARSH AND SHORE. Orbis
Publishing London, England:264.
3609* Bent, A.C. 1962. LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN SHORE
BIRDS. 13. Dover Publications, Inc. New York:420.
4182* Recher, H.F. 1966. Some aspects of the ecology of
migrating shorebirds. Ecology 47:393-407.
4469* Fredrickson, L.H.. Personal communication..
4652* Smith, J...
4684* Rundle, W.D. 1980. Managment, habitat selection, and
feeding of migrant rails and shorebirds.:228.
4685* Rundle, W.D., Fredrickson, L.H. 1981. Managing seasonally
flooded impoundments for migrant rails and shorebirds. Wildlife
Society Bulletin 9(2):80-87.
6069* Silliman, J., Mills, G.S., Alden, S. 1977. Effects of
flock size on foraging activity in wintering sanderlings. Wilson
Bull. 89:434-438.
References - 1