Sanderling

Calidris alba (Pallas, 1764)

Scolopacidae — Sandpipers, Snipes

Sanderling, Calidris alba, breeds across the high Arctic of North America and the Palearctic, including Greenland, Svalbard, northern Siberia, the Lena Delta, the New Siberian Islands, the Alaskan North Slope and Canadian Arctic islands. Outside the breeding season it is found on sandy coasts worldwide, from the British Isles and Macaronesia through Africa, the Middle East and Asia to Australia, and also across the Americas to Tierra del Fuego. It is a small wading bird with no hind toe, and in flight it shows a strong white wingbar.

Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Scolopacidae — Sandpipers, Snipes
Breeding range
North America, Palearctic: high Arctic tundra wetlands of Holarctic: nw, se Greenland, Svalbard (n of Norway), n Taymyr Pen. and Severnaya Zemlya (to n), Lena Delta and New Siberian Is. (nc Siberia), Alaskan North Slope (rare), Canadian Arctic islands from Banks to Ellesmere and s to Southampton
Nonbreeding range
Worldwide : sandy coastal beaches from temperate to tropical zone: British Isles and Macaronesia (nw of n Africa) through Africa, Malagasy region, Middle East, s, se Asia through Indonesian Arch. to Australia, Melanesia, Philippines and s, c Japan (but rare New Guinea and New Zealand); sw, se Canada and Caribbean s to Tierra del Fuego and including remote islands through e Polynesia
Sanderling
© Hansueli Krapf  This file was uploaded with Commonist. · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

15 tours in Canada 5, Poland 3, South Africa 3, Japan 2, Brazil 1, Namibia 1

Land Meets Sea: Coastal Birdwatching and Private Boat
Land Meets Sea: Coastal Birdwatching and Private Boat
Poland / Gdańsk Private tour 1 day

Combine a guided walk on the western side of Mewia Łacha with a private boat trip for a different view of Baltic birds and grey seals....

Ferry and Forest Birdwatching Trek
Ferry and Forest Birdwatching Trek
Poland / Gdańsk Private tour 1 day

Cross the Vistula from Świbno and explore the Mikoszewo side on a private eight-hour birdwatching walk through woodland and coastal dunes....

Mewia Łacha Coastal Birdwatching Adventure
Mewia Łacha Coastal Birdwatching Adventure
Poland / Gdańsk Private tour 1 day

Follow a five-hour private loop through pine woodland, riverbanks and sandy dunes to watch coastal birds at the eastern end of Sobieszewo Is...

Private 7-Day Tokyo, Chiba and Miyake Island Birding Tour
Private 7-Day Tokyo, Chiba and Miyake Island Birding Tour
Japan / Tokyo Private tour 7 days

A seven-day private birding circuit through Chiba, Ibaraki, Tokyo and Miyake Island, with wetland, harbour, park, island and pelagic observa...

From USD 5,610
Private 5-Day Tokyo, Chiba and Miyake Island Birding Tour
Private 5-Day Tokyo, Chiba and Miyake Island Birding Tour
Japan / Tokyo Private tour 5 days

A five-day private birding route from Chiba and Tokyo parks to Miyake Island, combining coastal waterbirds, island specialties and seabird w...

From USD 3,570
Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Private Birdwatching with Falcon Birdwatching
Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Private Birdwatching with Falcon Birdwatching
Brazil / Rio de Janeiro Private tour 1 day

Flexible private half-day or full-day birdwatching in Rio de Janeiro and Atlantic Forest habitats with Francisco Falcon, customized by seaso...

Saskatoon Shorebirds – Great Short Driving Tour in 2026
Saskatoon Shorebirds – Great Short Driving Tour in 2026
Canada / Saskatoon Private tour 3h

A private three- or four-hour self-drive tour of wetlands near Saskatoon, timed for seasonal shorebirds and other waterbirds....

From CAD 190
Porter Lake Birding Tour – 3 great hours with water birds
Porter Lake Birding Tour – 3 great hours with water birds
Canada / Saskatoon Private tour 3h

A three-hour self-drive tour around Porter Lake, east of Saskatoon, focused on lakeshore waterbirds and seasonal shorebird movements....

From CAD 150
Grasslands National Park Birding Tour from Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw or Swift Current – Best Prairie Birds 2026
Grasslands National Park Birding Tour from Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw or Swift Current – Best Prairie Birds 2026
Canada / Saskatoon Private tour 3 days

A private three-day self-drive journey from Saskatoon into Grasslands National Park and southern Saskatchewan’s prairie and shorebird coun...

From CAD 2,190
Chaplin Shorebirds 2026 – Great Birding and Bird Photography Day Tour from Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current or Saskatoon
Chaplin Shorebirds 2026 – Great Birding and Bird Photography Day Tour from Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current or Saskatoon
Canada / Saskatoon Private tour 1 day

A private full-day self-drive tour from Saskatoon to the saline lakes around Chaplin, focused on seasonal shorebird migration and photograph...

From CAD 890
Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour with 2 great options from Saskatoon or Regina
Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour with 2 great options from Saskatoon or Regina
Canada / Saskatoon Private tour 1 day

A 1-day Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary outing from Saskatoon or Regina, focused on wetland, shorebird and prairie birding in one of Saska...

From CAD 790
2-Day West Coast Birding Tour
2-Day West Coast Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 2 days

Explore the Western Cape coast over two days, from Darling farmland and Geelbek shorebirds to a Berg River boat trip and Velddrif wetlands....

10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 10 days

A private or small-group Western Cape birding itinerary from Cape Town through the Cape Peninsula, West Coast, Tankwa Karoo, Agulhas Plain, ...

Private West Coast Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
Private West Coast Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 1 day

A private full-day circuit from Cape Town through Darling and the West Coast National Park for larks, korhaans, raptors, shorebirds and coas...

From ZAR 7,000
Southern Africa Birding Expedition: Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls with Birding Ecotours
Southern Africa Birding Expedition: Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls with Birding Ecotours
Namibia / Walvis Bay Group tour 18 days

An 18-day birding expedition from Namibia's Atlantic coast through Etosha and the Okavango Panhandle to Victoria Falls, combining desert nea...

From USD 10,206