Wild Britain series: Wading birds

From striking black and white plumage to camouflaged feathering, these eight species of wading birds can be spotted in the UK over winter.

Illustrations by KEZIA HARRINGTON

Dunlin

Part of the sandpiper family, the diminutive northern dunlin, Calidris alpina, is on the RSPB's Red List for UK Birds of Conservation Concern. It flocks in large numbers in winter, sometimes numbering thousands, roosting on fields, saltmarshes and shores when the tide is high. In summer they breed on the UK's uplands, particularly the Northern and Western Isles off the coast of Scotland. Dunlins arrive in the UK from as far afield as Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia. The dunlins in the UK in winter are not the same as the ones that can be found here in the summer and there are at least 10 different subspecies of dunlins in the world, three of which visit the UK annually, each at a different time. The dunlin is one of the most common waders and can be spotted moving along coastal mudflats with its characteristic 'sewing machine' feeding action. Dunlins have a slight downward curve to their beaks and the colouration of their feathers varies seasonally, from brick-red in summer to grey in winter. They generally have a white underbelly, but this gains a large, black patch as part of their summer plumage. This colouration has also prompted them to be known as red-backed sandpipers.

Avocet

The pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta, has an upwardly curved beak that makes it incredibly distinctive to spot as it wades around in estuaries. The avocet is the emblem of the RSPB and symbolises the bird protection movement in the UK more than any other species. Its return in the 1940s and subsequent increase in numbers represents one of the most successful conservation and protection projects. Most of the UK population nest within reserves, where the management of brackish lagoons is tailored to the birds' requirements, and where they are safe from human disturbance. They use their long, upturned beak to sweep through shallow water and find hidden prey such as crustaceans, worms and insects in the loose sediment. Their black and white plumage remains consistent throughout the year and the species is largely migratory, with most wintering in Africa. However, some do stay in parts of Europe for the season, including southern England.

Oystercatchers

Oystercatchers, Haematopus ostralegus, have a striking black and white plumage and bright red eyes and beak. Found along most of the UK coastline, they congregate in large numbers on estuaries over the winter, such as Morecambe Bay, where they like to eat the oysters which have earned them their name. They also eat cockles on the coast and, if roaming inland, will eat worms. There are many different species of oystercatchers, but most are monogamous and many defend their territory during breeding season. While typically referred to simply as an 'oystercatcher', the species found in the UK is also sometimes called the Eurasian, common pied or palaeractic oystercatcher. However, the bird's population spreads far beyond the UK, into northern Europe and down to parts of northern Africa. It is also the national bird of the Faroe Islands, where its return to the country in spring is celebrated annually on 12th March, coinciding with St Gregory's Day.

Redshank

Another member of the sandpiper family, common redshanks, Tringa totanus, as their name suggests, have long red-orange legs. Their beaks are of medium length and are also red, darkening to black at the tip. They have a distinctive white eye ring and brown, speckled plumage with a paler belly. These ground-nesting birds often fly in from Iceland to winter in UK estuaries and coastal lagoons, breeding on open marshes, mires and saltmarshes, particularly in Scotland and northern England. They are nervous birds and utter loud, piping alarm calls which have led to them being nicknamed the 'yelper of the marshes'. Although they are the most common type of sandpiper to be found in Europe, they are nevertheless on the Amber List for conservation concern in the UK, largely due to loss of habitats which is causing the population to decline.

Snipe

The common snipe, Gallinago gallinago, has a very long, straight beak which it uses to probe in the mud for earthworms, insects and crustaceans. This has a flexible tip, full of nerves, which helps them to detect worms beneath the ground and then snatch them up. Snipe can be identified by their brown plumage, which has an intricate pattern of black and gold bars, and a stripy brown and gold head. It is a fairly common wader found in marshes and wetlands, especially in the winter. Listen out for the distinctive sound of snipe 'drumming' during the breeding season, which is the sound produced by males when their tail feathers vibrate in the wind as they perform their aerial courtship displays.

Grey plover

Usually found on UK coasts and estuaries in the winter, the grey plover, Pluvialis squatarola, has silver-grey feathers along its back, with black spots. However, its underbelly changes colour completely between seasons: in winter, it is a pale brownish-grey to white, while in the summer, it gains black feathering extending across its underside and up to its face. For this reason, they are also known as the 'black-bellied plover'. They are also the largest of the plover family and the only ones to have a rear toe. Grey plovers arrive in the UK in July and stay over winter until the following spring. Like other plovers, they forage for marine invertebrates and crustaceans in a particular way: standing and watching, running forward, pecking, then standing still again.

Lapwing

With a splendid crest and beautiful iridescent plumage, northern lapwings, Vanellus vanellus used to be numerous in Britain and Ireland but are now declining, due to changes in farming and loss of habitat. They are now classed as a Red List species. Lapwings may be spotted on farmland across the UK, especially on lowlands in northern England and eastern Scotland. Typically, they will gather on fields used to grow cereal or root crops in the breeding season, but also frequent pastures, meadows, fallow fields and wetlands with short vegetation. Over the winter, they prefer pasture and ploughed fields. Their distinctive 'pee-wit' call can be heard as they fly in slow flapping motions over wetlands and they are known for their skilled displays of aerobatics, rolling and diving through the air. So identifiable is their call that they are sometimes referred to as peewits, but are also called green plovers. The collective noun for a group of lapwings is a 'deceit', so called in respect to the stunt pulled by parent birds to lure predators away from their nests: they pretend to be injured, tempting threats away from their young.