Curlew Sandpiper
Crescent beach runners (Calidris ferruginea )
The crescent beach runners (Calidris ferruginea ) is a species of bird in the family of the Waders ( Scolopacidae ). He is a breeding bird of the tundra of Siberia. He is in Central Europe, especially during the Herbstzugs a regular migrant. 500-6000 individuals are annually observed in the Wadden Sea in the Netherlands. In very rare cases of sickle summers beach runner and at the Central European coast.
Description
The crescent beach runner is just under 20 inches tall, so about the size of a star, and reaches a wingspan of about 35 cm. It weighs 40 to 60 g and can be up to 17 years old ( the oldest, again trapped individual). Occurs because the name of his long and much curved beak. However, the bill is no clear determination feature, since large differences in length and curvature may occur. In Plain dress easily confused with the Alpine beach runners, however, long-legged, slightly lighter in color and quiet in the movement. In breeding plumage easy to identify in the deep rust-red breast and the curved beak. The legs of the Alps beach runner are colored black in any dress. Males and females are colored alike. His call sounds something like " djürri " or " dirrit ". Here too there is a likelihood of confusion with the Alpine beach runners, but this sounds deeper and harder. During courtship and breeding in the breeding areas, it also comes to singing with multi-part stanzas.
Distribution and habitat
The crescent beach runner is a breeding bird of the north of Russia. It breeds on the Taimyr peninsula there to Chukotka. May also include the New Siberian Islands to its breeding area. It occurs both in the dry and in the wet steppe. Of Central Siberia, attracting a large population over continental Europe and the Mediterranean to West Africa in the wintering areas, which allows the observation of crescent beach runners in Germany regularly.
Crescent beach runners are concentrated mainly in the coastal arctic tundra as breeding birds. Furthermore, it breeds like on river banks, also inland. During the migration period crescent beach skiers can be found everywhere but inland on pure mud flats on the coasts, but also rarer. There are often enough from small areas that serve the birds in search of food.
Food
Bristle worms, small clams and snails, and insects and their larvae are among his favorite, purely animal food. Gnats and midges serve him at their breeding ground for food.
At the picnic areas in the winter of sickle beach runner spends eighty percent of his time looking for food. In its breeding grounds on the other hand he turns 55 to 65 percent of the daylight hours to search for food. Crescent beach skiers move slower and quieter than Alpine beach runners. He also specializes more on probing and often go down to the belly into the water.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity is reached at age 3. Couples seeking and are usually found already in the wintering areas. During the breeding season between mid May and late June, the female lays up to five eggs. However, the first Juvenile no earlier than mid to late July fledged.