The Dunlin is a medium-small sandpiper best known for its long, distinctly drooped bill and, in breeding plumage, a striking black belly patch set against a rusty-red back — a pattern that once earned it the name "red-backed sandpiper." Most Michiganders, though, see it in its plain gray-brown nonbreeding plumage during the later part of migration, when its hunched posture and downcurved bill are the key clues. It probes energetically in the mud with a sewing-machine motion, working the flats for hidden prey.
Dunlin nest on the Arctic tundra and are among the hardier shorebirds, lingering later into the fall than most, so flocks often appear on Great Lakes shorelines and mudflats well into November when other shorebirds have gone. They gather in tight, wheeling flocks that twist in unison, flashing pale and dark as they turn. Their late passage and long, drooping bill make them a distinctive and welcome sight at the tail end of the state's shorebird season.
Probes mud and shallow water with its long, downcurved bill for marine and aquatic worms, insects, small crustaceans, and mollusks, feeding with a rapid probing motion. It forages on mudflats and shorelines, working the surface and just below it for hidden invertebrates.
Look for a medium-small sandpiper with a long, drooping bill and a hunched posture. In breeding plumage it has a rusty back and a black belly patch; in the nonbreeding plumage usually seen in fall it is plain gray-brown, with the drooped bill the best clue.
Dunlin migrate through Michigan later than most shorebirds, especially in fall, by which time they have molted to their plain gray-brown nonbreeding plumage. The bold black-bellied breeding look is seen mainly in spring.
It is a relatively late migrant, with numbers often peaking in late fall — flocks may linger on Great Lakes shorelines and mudflats into November after most other shorebirds have departed.
The black belly patch and rusty back are spring breeding plumage. Fall and winter birds are plain gray-brown, and juveniles show neat dark spotting on the belly rather than a solid black patch.
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