Dunlin (breeding plumage)
Calidris alpina

f7.1 @ 1/4000s, ISO:1250, Nikon D3S w 500mm and 1.7X teleconverter


"Dunlin," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. An adult dunlin in breeding plumage shows the distinctive black belly which no other similar-sized wader possesses. On the tip of the Dunlin's bill is a soft covering that fills with blood and with many nerve endings, forming a sensitive probe that is used to locate invertebrate prey in mud and sand. Although the bill can look sharp-pointed in dead specimens, in life it is blunt.
Black Beach, West Falmouth, Massachusetts
 
05/07/2021