Sanderling
SanderlingSanderlingSanderlingSanderling

Sanderling

Calidris alba

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Vatnajokull National Park
32 Verified records at Vatnajokull National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The sanderling (Calidris alba) is a small wading bird. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, being among the most extreme northern breeding birds in the world, nesting only on the coldest tundra, north of the 5°C July isotherm; in Europe, its southernmost breeding locality is Svalbard, where only a handful (5–15) pairs breed. It is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, western and southern Europe, Africa, and Australia. It is highly gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks on coastal mudflats or sandy beaches. It is somewhat unlike other small sandpipers in appearance, in particular in lacking a hind toe, which has led to the suggestion that it should be placed into a monotypic genus Crocethia. More recent reviews indicate that the sanderling is a fairly typical "stint" or small sandpiper and should be retained along with the knots and other relatives in the genus Calidris. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Sanderling sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 32 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Vatnajokull National Park

Dunlin
NT

Dunlin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris alpina

10–20% · With luck
Purple Sandpiper
LC

Purple Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris maritima

<5% · Rare
Red Knot
NT

Red Knot

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris canutus

<5% · Rare
Ruff
LC

Ruff

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris pugnax

Insufficient data
Pectoral Sandpiper
LC

Pectoral Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris melanotos

Insufficient data
Common Snipe
LC

Common Snipe

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gallinago gallinago

50–60% · Likely
Common Redshank
LC

Common Redshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa totanus

40–50% · Likely
Whimbrel
LC

Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius phaeopus

40–50% · Likely
Black-tailed Godwit
NT

Black-tailed Godwit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Limosa limosa

40–50% · Likely
Red-necked Phalarope
LC

Red-necked Phalarope

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phalaropus lobatus

40–50% · Possible
Ruddy Turnstone
NT

Ruddy Turnstone

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Arenaria interpres

<5% · Rare
Jack Snipe
LC

Jack Snipe

Bird

Lymnocryptes minimus

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
30–40%
2 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
30–40%
3 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
20–30%
4 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
20–30%
5 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
6 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
8 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
9 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
10 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
10–20%
11 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
12 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
13 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
10–20%
14 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
10–20%
15 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
10–20%
16 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
17 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
18 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
19 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
20 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
5–10%
21 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
22 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
5–10%
23 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
27 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
28 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
31 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
32 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
<5%
34 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
35 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
38 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
39 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
40 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
<5%
41 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
42 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
43 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
44 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
45 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
<5%
46 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
47 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
49 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
50 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
51 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
52 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
53 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
54 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
56 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
57 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
58 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
59 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
60 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
61 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
62 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
63 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
64 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
65 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
66 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
67 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
Insufficient data
68 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
69 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
70 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
71 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
72 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
73 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
74 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
75 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
76 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
77 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
78 Tierra del Fuego National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
79 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
80 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
81 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
82 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
83 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
Insufficient data
84 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
85 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
Insufficient data
86 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
Insufficient data
87 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
88 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
89 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
90 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
91 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
92 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
93 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
94 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
95 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
96 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Sanderling in Vatnajokull National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Sanderling sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 32 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sanderling in Vatnajokull National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Sanderling in Vatnajokull National Park in our monthly data.

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