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Ecology and Vulnerability Sanderling
Displayed are DSL Landscape Capability (LC) data for the Sanderling for 2010 (DSL Current) and the future (DSL 2080); higher values shown in dark red. LC incorporates habitat, climate, and prevalance to estimate suitable and accessible conditions for the species. LC values can't be compared across species. Courtesy of K. McGarigal, UMass.
HideDisplayed are DSL Landscape Capability (LC) data for the Sanderling for 2010 (DSL Current) and the future (DSL...
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Ecology and Vulnerability
Sanderling
Photo credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service NE
Background
Sanderlings are medium-sized sandpipers with pale gray feathers, white underbodies, and black legs and bills. During the spring and summer breeding season in the... Read More
Background
Sanderlings are medium-sized sandpipers with pale gray feathers, white underbodies, and black legs and bills. During the spring and summer breeding season in the high arctic tundra, they have black blotchy patterns on their wings. Sanderlings migrate south in the fall, typically to Peru, Argentina, and along the Patagonian coast, where they feed along beaches 9,12. Sanderlings are common migrants and wintering birds in Massachusetts where they inhabit coastal beaches and intertidal areas, ranging from mud flats to sandy beaches,. They are commonly seen running along the shoreline between waves to feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and other marine invertebrates 4. They have also been observed eating beetles, algae, ants, and small fish 12. Sanderlings aggressively defend their foraging territory from other shorebirds. Prey availability and the number of “intruder” birds, or sanderlings from outside habitats, shape the size of territories along beaches 10.
Sanderlings typically have just one breeding partner, but in some cases females will breed with multiple males 4. Sanderling populations are threatened by human development and other activities such as recreation on beaches, predation by pets, as well as erosion prevention structures, which disrupt foraging behavior 3,11. Common predators of sanderlings are seagulls, owls, foxes, and wolves in the arctic 4.
Climate Impacts
Sanderlings and other migratory shorebirds are faced with many of the projected threats associated with climate change. Marsh and beach habitats that sanderlings use in Massachusetts and the greater coastal Atlantic U.S. are expected to be significantly altered or reduced through rising sea levels, erosion, terrestrial runoff, increased storm surge, and high tide inundation 5,8,15. Although some habitats and species that reside in the coastal zone have the ability to cope with projected changes, many may be unable to keep pace with the rate of changes that are expected over the coming decades 1,2.
Mismatches between optimal environmental conditions during key life stages, such as during long-distance migration, on overwintering and foraging grounds, are likely to be disrupted by expected changes in temperature 7,14. Sanderlings migrate long distances and have highly specialized habitat, which may contribute to their vulnerability 6,15. Sanderlings, however, have a widespread distribution and are adapted to various environmental conditions, which may help them withstand and cope with some of the negative impacts of climate change. In areas where marsh and beach habitats are able to migrate or persist in response to sea level rise, storm surges, and other coastal impacts due to climate, they may be able to continue to sustain and support sanderling populations during seasonal migrations.
1. Adaptation Subcommittee to the Governor’s Steering Committee on Climate Change (ASGSCCC). 2010. The impacts of climate change on Connecticut agriculture, infrastructure, natural resources and public health. Available at: http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/climatechange/impactsofclimatechange.pdf
2. Arkema, K.K., G. Guannel, G. Verutes, S.A. Wood, A. Guerry, M. Ruckelshaus, P. Kareiva, M. Lacayo, and J.M. Silver. 2013. Coastal habitats shield people and property from sea-level rise and storms. Nature climate change 3:913-918.
3. Burger, J., and M. Gochfeld. 1991. Human activity influence and diurnal and nocturnal foraging of sanderlings (Calidris Alba). The Condor 93:259-265.
4. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2015. Sanderling. All about Birds. Cornell University. Accessed 5/2/16. Available at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sanderling/lifehistory.
5. Galbraith, H., R. Jones, R. Park, J. Clough, S. Herrod-Julius, B. Harrington, and G. Page. 2002. Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise: Potential Losses of Intertidal Habitat for Shorebirds. Waterbirds 25:173-183.
6. Galbraith, H., D.W. DesRochers, S. Brown, and J.M. Reed. 2014. Predicting vulnerabilities of North American shorebirds to climate change. PLoS ONE 9:e108899.
7. Jones T., W. Cresswell. 2010. The phenology mismatch hypothesis: are declines of migrant birds linked to uneven global climate change? Journal of Animal Ecology 79: 98–108.
8. MA CCVA: Manomet Center for Conservation Science (Manomet) and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MA DFW). 2010. Climate change and Massachusetts fish and wildlife: Volume 2 Habitat.
9. MacWhirter, B., P. Austin-Smith, Jr., and D. Kroodsma. 2002. Sanderling (Calidris alba). In The Birds of North America, No. 653 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America Online, Ithaca, New York.
10. Myers, J.P., P.G. Connors, and F.A. Pitelka. 1979. Territory Size in Wintering Sanderlings: The Effects of Prey Abundance and Intruder Density. The Auk 96:551-561.
11. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP). 2015. Sanderling. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Accessed 5/2/16. Available at: http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/nhesp/species-and-conservation/nhfacts/...
12. Petracci, P.F. 2002. Diet of Sanderling in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Waterbirds 25:366-370.
13. Reneerkens, J., P.V. Veeleb, M.V.D. Velde, P. Luttikhuizen, and T. Piersma. 2014. Within-population variation in mating systems and parental care patterns in the Sanderling (Calidris alba) in northeast Greenland. The Auk 131:235-247.
14. Saino N., R. Ambrosini, D. Rubolini, J.V. Hardenberg, A. Provenzale, et al. 2011. Climate warming, ecological mismatch at arrival and population decline in migratory birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278: 835–842.
15. Whitman, A., A. Cutko, P. De Maynadier, S. Walker, B. Vickery, S. Stockwell, and R. Houston. 2013. Climate change and biodiversity in Maine: vulnerability of habitats and priority species. Report SEI-2013-03. Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences (in collaboration with Maine Beginning with Habitat Climate Change Working Group), Brunswick, ME.
This species was identified as highly vulnerable to climate change because of the following factors:
- Major loss of breeding habitat
- Major loss of wintering habitat... Read More
This species was identified as highly vulnerable to climate change because of the following factors:
- Major loss of breeding habitat
- Major loss of wintering habitat
- Major loss of migration habitat
- Highly dependent on ecological synchronicities
- Long migration distance
- High degree of habitat specialization
Galbraith, H., D.W. DesRochers, S. Brown, and J.M. Reed. 2014. Predicting vulnerabilities of North American shorebirds to climate change. PLoS ONE 9:e108899.
This species was identified as moderately vulnerable to climate change because of the following factors:
- Exhibits a high degree of habitat specialization
- Likely... Read More
This species was identified as moderately vulnerable to climate change because of the following factors:
- Exhibits a high degree of habitat specialization
- Likely significant habitat loss
- Likely disruption of environmental cues
Whitman, A., A. Cutko, P. De Maynadier, S. Walker, B. Vickery, S. Stockwell, and R. Houston. 2013. Climate change and biodiversity in Maine: vulnerability of habitats and priority species. Report SEI-2013-03. Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences (in collaboration with Maine Beginning with Habitat Climate Change Working Group), Brunswick, ME.
Related Adaptation Strategies and Actions
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