Dunlin

    Calidris alpina

Castilian: Correlimos común

Catalan: Territ variant

Gallego: Pilro común

Euskera: Txirri arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Migratory status: Winter resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The transformation and destruction of its habitat due to wetland drainage, the growth of invasive aquatic plant species that impede the development of the bird's food supply, and urban development in marshes and other coastal areas.

Length / size: 16-20 cm / 38-43 cm

Identification: Medium-sized wader whose legs and bill are black. During mating season, the adult develops a black spot on its belly and the feathers on its back are brown, black and reddish. Its plumage is grey during the rest of the year, with a lighter lower body and a mottled breast and throat.

Song: It makes a buzzing "chrrrreet" in flight.

Diet: It feeds on insects and larvae of crustaceans and annelids, which it captures by chasing them on the surface of the silt or just beneath that level.

Reproduction: The nest is located in a small depression in the ground, hidden among the vegetation and covered up by leaves and grass. Both sexes are responsible for incubation, and the chicks move about freely a short time after hatching.

HABITAT

When breeding it occupies pastures with small lakes, marshes and wet highlands, while in winter it prefers intertidal plains, estuaries and coastal lakes.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: In winter, the largest populations are found in the Ebro Delta, the Guadalquivir marshes, the Galician inlets, and the Bay of Cádiz, although in general it is present on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts and on the Canary Islands.

In Castile and León: Its primary wintering site is Villafáfila (Zamora).

Movements and migrations: It is a migratory species. The autumn passage takes place along the Iberian and Balearic coasts in August-September, reaching the Strait of Gibraltar, and the spring one occurs between April and May.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 13000-100000 wintering specimens.

In Castile and León: