# Dunlin (*Calidris alpina*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/dunlin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The dunlin (Calidris alpina), also called Lapland dunlin or Red-backed sandpiper, is a bird in the family Scolopacidae of the order Charadriiformes. It is a small, migratory bird of wetland habitat, with an adult body mass of 51.89 g (up to 57.12 g) and a wingspan of 36 cm. The dunlin is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category, with a terrestrial lifestyle. It lays a clutch of 4 eggs once per year, incubated for 21.4 days, and is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 51.9 g – 57.1 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 36 cm |
| Lifespan | 19.8 years – 28.8 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 21.4 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4 |
| Age at maturity | 20.9 months – 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Scolopacidae
- genus: Calidris
- species: *Calidris alpina* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Aerolia varia*, *Calidris variabilis*, *Ereunetes alpina*, *Erolia alpina*, *Pelidna alpina*, *Tringa torquatus*, *Tringa variabilis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the dunlin?

The dunlin is a bird in the family Scolopacidae and the order Charadriiformes. It is a small, migratory species.

### How heavy is a dunlin?

An adult Dunlin has a body mass of 51.89 g, with values up to 57.12 g reported. Its wingspan is 36 cm.

### What does the dunlin eat?

The dunlin is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category.

### Is the dunlin endangered?

No. The dunlin is listed as Near Threatened (NT) in the global IUCN assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a dunlin live?

The dunlin has a lifespan of 19.75 years, with values up to 28.83 years reported.

### How many eggs does a dunlin lay?

The dunlin lays a clutch of 4 eggs, with 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 21.4 days.

### Who named the dunlin?

The scientific name Calidris alpina is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Dunlin (Calidris alpina). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dunlin