The Curious Case of the One-Legged Sanderlings
“Did you know a lot of them only have one leg?”
“No way.”
“Seriously! Just watch them.”
“Huh… you’re right!”
“They can run incredibly fast with that one leg!”
“Poor things. I wonder what happened to the other one?”
How bizarre
And that’s how it all started; my quest to solve The Mystery of the Missing Sanderling Leg.
At first, I dismissed it as a silly myth. But then, on the beach, I noticed it myself. So many of these little birds really did seem to hop along on just one leg. Running even! How bizarre.
Sanderlings are usually peaceful, endearing little birds. But could they have a darker side? Secret underground fights? Crab duels gone wrong? Mussel mishaps?
I watched them closely. They ran fearlessly along the surf, foraged for tiny shellfish, and often took off in unison like feathered choreography. Even in fierce storms, they stayed put, determinedly trotting along the shoreline. They sleep standing up, head tucked under wing, balancing on that one leg like tiny yogis.
I just couldn’t get over the one-legged thing. No matter how carefully I watched; no second leg. They didn’t seem bothered by it at all, tirelessly scuttling back and forth on the sand. Where was that missing leg?
Back home, I browsed through my photos… and there it was: in one sneaky shot, a second leg appeared.
I’d been fooled. They’d faked it.
Oh, birds and their peculiar ways, I love it!
Sanderling facts
What’s in a name?
They may not be missing a leg, but they are missing a toe! Most birds have four toes, but sanderlings only have three. Hence their Dutch name: “Drieteenstrandloper”, which literally means Three-toed beach runner.
More bird photography here
