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Wader - Lisbon District, Portugal (11/01/2025) (1 Viewer)

Hi everyone,

I´m sharing a couple of photos of waders I took last weekend at the EVOA birdwatching site near Lisbon, Portugal. I have no doubts about the grey plover. However, the second largest bird (right in the first photo and left on the second) I´m not so sure. It looks like a dunlin, but the bill is longer than I would expect. I find this bird also very small compared to the grey plover in the photos. Moreover, I have no clue what the smallest bird species is. I thought it could be a little stint (Calidris minuta), but again the bill looks longer than assumed. What am I missing in these birds?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Luís
 

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Agree both are Dunlin, although the variation between the two birds in the photograph does look significant both in size and plumage.

I hadn't given Dunlin a huge amount of thought before, but I'm surprised to read that the variation in bill length is enormous, from 23mm - 36mm (50% more in long billed compared to short billed!)

The longer billed Dunlin also looks heavier, so perhaps it is a female, and the smaller one a male.

Also a bit a conversation here that might be useful: Dunlin with short bill?
 

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