Species
Calidris alba (Sanderling)
Calidris alba. Photo: (c) lemurtaquin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
The sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English sand-yrðling, “sand-ploughman”. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific alba is Latin for “white”.