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Dunlin

Calidris alpina

IUCN status: Near threatened

 

Plumage

Breeding plumage distinctive for large black patch on belly. In non-breeding plumage, plain greyish brown above with white belly, not mdissimilar to Curlew Sandpiper. Dunlin is plumper with shorter legs and neck.

 

Confusing Species

Curlew Sandpiper. Note that primaries of Curlew Sandpiper project beyond the tip of the tail when at rest.

Distribution

 

Distribution

No ordinary distribution in Australia.

Migratory habits

This species very rarely migrates below the Equator.

Breeding

Breeds in the arctic areas of Europe, Asia, Alaska and Canada.

BARC submissions of Dunlin in Australia

Location State/Territory Sighting Date Decision
Ardrossan SA 11/10/1985 Not Accepted
Esperance WA 23/04/1985 Accepted
Cains Esplanade QLD 3/12/1977 Not Accepted
Cape Bowling Green  QLD 1/07/1999 Accepted
Peterborough  VIC 1/11/2002 Not Accepted
Lake Tuross  NSW 5/01/2010 Accepted

References

  1. Geering, Andrew, Lindsay Agnew, and Sandra Harding, eds. Shorebirds of Australia. Csiro Publishing, 2007.
  2. eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available:  http://www.ebird.org (Accessed: Date 12/4/2026)
  3. Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
  4. Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
  5. https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/
  6. Warnock, N. and R. E. Gill (2023). Dunlin (Calidris alpina), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.dunlin.02