What Am I?

I saw an animal on my marsh and beach walk on Veterans' Day. See if you can figure out what it is from the clues...

I have a backbone, making me a vertebrate.

I am warm blooded.

I can fly very well, but am often seen walking very quickly.

I have feathers.

You already know that I am found either in the marsh or along the beach. It is the latter - the beach.

I am just a few (5 to 8) inches tall.

I hunt randomly for small animals, mostly crustaceans, that are buried in the sand.

As I hunt, I walk so fast that my little legs are almost a blur. If you humans could move your legs as fast, you could run 100 meters in just a few seconds.

I catch prey by stabbing my bill into the sand over and over. I usually hunt at the edge of the sand, since the wet sand is easier to get my bill into.

Figure it out yet?

Scroll down....




I am a sanderling, often called a sandpiper.