Context:

Recently, Dunlin bird was spotted during the Kerala Bird Race in Kochi, Kerala.

Dunlin (Calidris alpine)

Name Origin: 

• The name “Dunlin” is derived from the Old English word “Dunling,” first recorded in 1531. 
• Dun refers to gray-brown and the suffix”-ling” is a diminutive, indicating a smaller size.

Description: 

• It is a small but beautiful wader (which comprises the sandpipers, plovers, and related birds), yellow-orange to brown speckled with a black back and crown.
• The long bill and legs are black. 
• In summer, the belly is black. 
• In winter, the belly is white, and the back and crown become a duller grey-brown.

Breeding Habitat: 

• The dunlin breeds in wet tundra areas, particularly around small ponds. 
• These habitats are found in regions such as the western and southern coast of Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, parts of northern Europe, Siberia, Alaska, and northern mainland Canada.

Habitat Preferences: 

• Outside of breeding season, Dunlin are often seen in large flocks on mudflats and beaches. 

Conservation Status: 

• As of 2024, the Dunlin's conservation status has been upgraded to "Near Threatened" by the IUCN, from "Least Concern" in 2023.

Size and Appearance Differences: 

• Female dunlins are usually larger than males and have proportionally longer bills.

Parenting Roles: 

• In Dunlins, it is usually the male that cares for the juveniles. After breeding, the female leaves the breeding area, allowing the male to take care of the chicks.  

Bill Terminology: 

• Ornithologists (the scientists of the branch of science devoted to birds) typically use the term “bill” rather than “beak” when referring to the feeding structure of birds, particularly those like ducks with fleshy beaks.
• "Beak" is often used for birds with pointed bills, like songbirds.

Kerala Bird Race

• It is an annual exercise coordinated by the Cochin Natural History Society, in association with the Kerala Agricultural University (Forestry College) and the State Forest and Wildlife Department.
• Bird Races with Bird Count in India is organised in 3 regions of Kerala that is Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.