Shorebird

A bird that commonly feeds along shorelines, often on exposed mud, sand, or shallow water. Many shorebirds have long legs and bills adapted to finding prey in wet sediments.

Wader: A long-legged bird that feeds by walking through shallow water or wet ground. Shorebirds are commonly grouped among waders because many forage in shallow water and mud.
Shorebird migration: Seasonal movement by shorebirds between breeding areas and nonbreeding habitats. Many species connect distant coasts through long, repeated migrations.
Sanderling: A small migratory shorebird that runs along surf edges and picks prey from wet sand. Its wave-following feeding behavior is a distinctive example of shoreline foraging.
Tactile foraging: Finding prey through touch rather than relying chiefly on sight. Some shorebirds detect buried invertebrates by sensing movement through the bill.
Coastal habitat loss: The reduction or degradation of natural habitats along coasts. Loss of beaches, wetlands, and mudflats removes essential feeding and nesting areas.
Bill: A bird’s jaws, often elongated or specialized for gathering and handling food. Shorebird bill shapes help determine which prey and sediment layers each species can exploit.
Stopover site: A place where a migrating animal pauses to rest and replenish energy. Shorebirds depend on productive stopovers to refuel during migration.
Bar-tailed godwit: A large migratory wader known for exceptionally long non-stop flights over the Pacific. Its transoceanic migration demonstrates the extreme distances some shorebirds travel.
Probing: Inserting a bill into sediment or another substrate to locate food. Long-billed shorebirds use probing to reach prey hidden below the surface.
Human disturbance of wildlife: Disruption of wild animals’ behavior by human presence or activity. People and vehicles can interrupt feeding or displace birds from beaches and mudflats.

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