- Lifespan
- 12–15 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 19–21 cm, wingspan 32–35 cm; 40–60 g
- Habitat
- Coastal sandy and shingle beaches, mudflats, and estuaries, particularly those with sparse vegetation and exposed substrates.
- UK Distribution
- Passage migrant and winter visitor to UK coasts, arriving August to October and departing March to May; breeds in the Arctic and does not breed in the UK.
- Diet
- Invertebrates found in sand and mud, including small crustaceans, molluscs, and marine worms; occasionally small insects and plant material.
- Prey
- Small amphipods, isopods, polychaete worms, and bivalve molluscs
- Predators
- Merlin, peregrine falcon, and occasionally larger gulls; egg and chick predation in breeding grounds by skuas and arctic foxes
- Mating Season
- May to July (in Arctic breeding grounds)
- Breeding
- Does not breed in the UK; typically lays 4 eggs in a simple ground scrape; incubation period approximately 24–31 days; single brood per year
- Behaviour
- Highly gregarious, often seen in small flocks on UK beaches; characteristically runs quickly along the shoreline with head down, probing and pecking for food. Known for their rapid, restless feeding behaviour and ability to migrate vast distances between Arctic breeding grounds and wintering areas.