Calidris

Dunlin If you spot clouds of bird flashing between brilliant white and darker color as they swirl back and forth near the complex, then you have just witnessed the dance of dunlin. Dunlin (Calidris alpina), also known as red-backed Sandpiper is a shorebird about the size of a sanderling that are found around the world. Dunlin breeds across the coastal area of both North America and Eurasia, and they winter along coasts around the northern Hemisphere (Pough 2003). Dunlin can be seen in all three refuges on the Complex at a suitable habitat. The natural habitats of dunlin consist of coastal mudflats or sandy beaches (Pattern 2003). Classification Dunlin is in the family of Scolopacidae (order Charadriiformes), which have small to medium sized shorebirds and live in various type of wetland habitats. The genus of dunlin is Calidrids, which are a group of Arctic-breeding birds with relatively short billed (Pattern 2003). The genus Calidrids also includes Great knot (Calidris tenuirostris), Red knot (Calidris canutus), Sanderling (Calidris alba), Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), Western sandpiper (Calidris mauri), Red-necked stint…

Fish and Wildlife Service (2015) lists birds such as the Least Turn (Sterna antillarum), Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), and Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) as endangered and threatened. Previously, Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were listed as endangered, however their populations have stabilized and are now protected under the federal Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Act. Mammals such as the Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens), Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis), and Northern Long Eared Bats…