The many species of “peeps” or small sandpipers can be very confusing, but Sanderlings are distinctive enough and common enough that it’s worth learning them—they can help you narrow down other species on the beach. The smallest peeps, including Semipalmated Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers, are noticeably smaller, more slender, and browner than Sanderlings. Winter plumage Red Knots are larger with stouter bills; in flight, they are mostly dull gray above, lacking the obvious white wing stripe set against black wings of Sanderlings. Dunlin are larger than Sanderlings, with a longer and often downcurved bill. Small plovers, such as the Snowy Plover and Piping Plover, are smaller with bills that are shorter than their head, and they usually stay higher on the beach and don’t chase after waves. Because of the Sanderling’s reddish face and neck in breeding plumage, they are occasionally mistaken for Red-necked Stints, rare vagrants from Eurasia. However Red-necked Stints are smaller (similar to Semipalmated Sandpiper in size and habitat preferences) with shorter, finer bills than Sanderlings.
Find This Bird
Sanderlings are easy to find on sandy beaches from fall through spring. Pick a beach with a low, gradual slope and walk along the water’s edge. Look for small shorebirds running back and forth in sync with the waves—these are likely to be Sanderlings. While other shorebirds such as plovers and Willets may feed alongside Sanderlings on these outer beaches, this is truly the Sanderling’s domain; these plucky birds often aggressively defend their feeding territories at water’s edge from other shorebirds.