Look Who's
Coming to Dinner

Over one million migratory shorebirds stop to rest and feed on the shores of Delaware Bay en route to northern breeding grounds. Meet ten of the species of birds that are observed most frequently in Delaware Bay during the spring migration season.

	Dunlin (Calidris alpina) This starling-sized bird has a longish bill that is drooped at the tip, black legs, and a hunched, "neckless" look. It feeds in loose flocks along the water's edge on estuarine mud flats, preferring mud to pure sand or rocky shores. Up to 1,500 dunlins have been counted in a square kilometer of habitat in Delmarva's coastal bays.
	Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) So named because of its loud, high-pitched "ha-ha-ha-haah-haah," this black-hooded gull frequents estuaries, nesting on piles of dead grass in salt marshes or sand dune swales. It prefers sites with tall grass and often nests in colonies, with nests only a few feet apart. It reuses the same nesting areas from season to season. The laughing gull migrates to the Mid-Atlantic region from South America and the Gulf Coast. This bird was rarely seen along Delaware Bay beaches in the 19th century. Its population now is rebounding.
	Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) Least sandpipers begin to arrive from Mexico and the Southeastern U.S. by mid-April. Their abundance on the shores of Delaware Bay peaks in late May as the horseshoe crabs begin to spawn. During the stopover, least sandpipers derive a large portion of their diet from horseshoe crab eggs, but they also forage for polychaete worms and other aquatic invertebrates. After replenishing their energy reserves, they migrate to breeding grounds in Nova Scotia and northern Canada.
	Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) The smallest of the terns, the least tern migrates to Delaware Bay in mid-April. It scrapes out shallow nests in sand, soil, or pebbles. This bird is a federally endangered species. Very rare in the early 1900s due to human disturbances in breeding areas, the population now is recovering.
	Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) These sparrow-sized birds are a federally threatened species; coastal development and dune stabilization have decreased their nesting habitat along the Atlantic coast. Scientists estimate that fewer than 1,400 pairs remain in the Atlantic population. Most piping plovers winter along the Atlantic coast between North Carolina and Florida.
	Red Knot (Calidris canutus) Arriving from Tierra del Fuego and southern Argentina, 33% to 50% of the red knot population uses Delaware Bay as a staging site. After consuming thousands of horseshoe crab eggs during their stay, the birds fly off to the Canadian high Arctic to breed. This robin-sized bird is gray on top and reddish underneath, with the red turning whitish in the fall. To view red knot breeding and wintering grounds, click here.
	Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) Each spring, after wintering along the Atlantic coast from South America to South Carolina, ruddy turnstones stop to rest and refuel in Delaware Bay en route to Canada and Greenland. Flipping over small stones and shells or digging shallow holes in the sand, they forage for thousands of horseshoe crab eggs to provide energy for the northern migration. Scientists estimate that 75% of the eastern North American population uses Delaware Bay as a stopover.
	Sanderling (Calidris alba) Called the "wind-up toys of the shorebird world," sanderlings are one of the easiest sandpipers to identify. They are small, pale-colored, highly active waders with black bills and legs. During breeding season, their plumage is bright white below and streaked chestnut and brown above. En route to nesting grounds in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, sanderlings from Brazil, Peru, and Chile probe Delaware Bay beaches for horseshoe crab eggs. Nearly 30% of the population wintering in South America passes through Delaware Bay in the spring.
	Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) These birds arrive in Delaware Bay from the mudflats of Suriname. Their feet are slightly lobed, which makes walking on mud easier. Although aquatic insects comprise a significant portion of their diet, semipalmated sandpipers also consume large quantities of horseshoe crab eggs. After refueling, they head to their breeding grounds, from Northern Labrador west to Victoria Island.
	Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) These birds are common visitors during the spring migration when large flocks may be seen feeding in salt marshes and mud flats, using their long bills to rapidly probe for small marine animals. Rusty brown during summer and gray in winter, short-billed dowitchers range from Alaska to eastern Canada, wintering in the southern United States and South America.

Where Are the Birds Right Now?

With the help of the Western Atlantic Shorebird Association, click here to create your own migration tracking maps for most of our Delaware Bay visitors.