search

Adult Dunlins in summer plumage have rufous crown with black streaks. Forehead, lore, supersullium, head-flanks and nape are whitish-grey black streaked. Back, shoulders and upper tail coverts are brownish-black with rufous edges of feathers; flank tail coverts are white with black tips. Underparts are white with blackish streaks; there is large brownish-black patch on fore-belly. Flight feathers are brownish; secondaries have much of white. Axillaries are white. Central pair of tail feathers is black-brown, other ones are grey. Bill and legs are black; bill is slightly down turned in terminal part. Eyes are brownish. In winter plumage adults have grey upperparts; underparts are white; but craw and fore-breast are grayish brown streaked. Juveniles are similar on adults in summer plumage but upperparts feathers are with narrower and paler edges of feathers. Craw and fore-breast are with grayish-buffy tone and little brownish spots. Other underparts are white with rounded dark-brown spots. Sizes: wing 105 - 125 mm, bill 27 – 40 mm. Weight: 38-61 gram.

Biology

Dunlin is common, in places numerous passage migrant. Occurs on muddy, sandy or saline soil shore of lakes, pounds, rivers and various reservoirs. In spring appears in end March - early April on southern areas, and in end April - early May on northern, mainly in small flocks, sometimes up to 5 hundred birds. Latest migrants registered in first decade of June. At autumn adults arrived in July, juveniles in August, most birds migrate in second half of August - first half of September. The northern areas Dunlin leaves in the end of September, though some singles and small groups linger up to early-mid October, the southern area it leaves in the end of October.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 2. Алма-Ата, 1962.
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.