dunlin

[ duhn-lin ]

/ ˈdʌn lɪn /

noun

a common sandpiper, Calidris alpina, that breeds in the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Nearby words

dunker, dunkerque, dunking, dunkirk, dunlap, dunlin, dunlop, dunmore, dunnage, dunnakin, dunnart

Origin of dunlin

1525–35; variant of dunling. See dun², -ling¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dunlin

At Kaolak River (July 17, 1951) a dunlin was feeding and flying with a group of four semipalmated sandpipers.
Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska|James W. Bee
A name for the dunlin, Tringa alpina, a species of sand-piper frequenting our shores and the banks of rivers in winter.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth
Small wading-birds, like ringed plovers and dunlin, commonly fly in “bunches.”
Birds in Flight|W. P. Pycraft
He would tell of immense flocks of widgeon, of banks of brent geese, and clouds of dunlin.
The Confessions of a Poacher|Anonymous

The period of incubation is probably the same as for the European dunlin, 22 days.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)|Arthur Cleveland Bent

British Dictionary definitions for dunlin

dunlin

/ (ˈdʌnlɪn) /

noun

a small sandpiper, Calidris (or Erolia) alpina, of northern and arctic regions, having a brown back and black breast in summerAlso called: red-backed sandpiper

Word Origin for dunlin

C16: dun ² + -ling 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012