Small birds will flock when endangered in a similar way to shoals of fish, and there can be fewer more spectacular sites than a thousand of these diminutive small waders swarming to escape a pursuing raptor. Unfortunately habitat destruction threatens their numbers, with the main problem being the spread of conifer plantations across the moorland upon which they breed in Scotland. Back to the top . The only similar species one may see is the curlew sandpiper, which has a longer more curved beak and is bigger, with longer legs. Dunlin are only 16-20 cm in length.
Upper parts vary in colour from brown to almost russet.
Back to the top . Dunlins mostly nest on high ground, usually peat moorland, although some breed on estuarine marshes. A few pairs breed on Dartmoor, the southernmost edge of their global breeding range. Large flocks gather at Point Air , along the Severn Estuary , and the Exe Estuary during winter, but small flocks can be seen at many coastal sites. The best inland site for dunlin is Rutland Water , in particular the Egleton Reserve.