Akça Cılıbıt (Anarhynchus alexandrinus)

Akça cılıbıt (Charadrius alexandrinus) is among the smallest sandpipers and has proportionally long legs. Its upper body is colored in pale sandy tones, while its underparts are entirely white. It has a thin black bill, dark gray-black legs, and large black eyes.

During the breeding season, males exhibit a white forehead with a black band above it, a faint reddish-brown crown, and a black eye stripe. Additionally, a black shoulder patch and a white collar are visible. Females display a similar pattern, but the black areas are replaced by lighter brown tones. Plumage structure may vary geographically; for example, individuals in North America may have paler, light gray upper feathers and lighter leg coloration compared to Kentish plovers.

During flight, narrow white wing stripes and a prominent dark band at the tail tip are visible.

Image of Akça Cılıbıt (Charadrius alexandrinus) (Generated by Artificial Intelligence.)

Habitat and Natural Environment

The Akça cılıbıt primarily inhabits stony, sandy, and muddy coastal strips. Especially outside the breeding season, it feeds on mudflats. It also inhabits coastal lagoons, dune systems, inland steppes, sandy deserts, tidal flats, salt flats, and extensive sandy shores of rivers and lakes with sparse vegetation.

In winter, it is commonly found along sea coasts.

Geographic Distribution

Charadrius alexandrinus has a very wide geographic range.

• North America: Breeds in the interior western regions and along the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts; also breeds along the Caribbean and Central American coasts.
• South America: Breeds along the Humboldt Current and the western coasts.
• Eurasia and North Africa: Common along coastal and inland areas of Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
• In Türkiye: A summer migrant that breeds in the southern Marmara region, Aegean coast, Mediterranean coast, Tuz Gölü Basin, Central Black Sea region, and Van Gölü Basin. It can be observed year-round near the eastern Mediterranean and Saroz Bay.

Breeding

Optional polygamy is observed in populations in western North America. Birds typically begin breeding within their first year, 260–360 days after hatching.

Courtship Behavior

The male responds to approaching females by calling and standing upright. During interaction with the female, the male scratches the ground at the site where the nest will be built. Following this behavior, the female also scratches and settles into the nest. During courtship, the male lowers his head toward the ground to display his white tail feathers, after which the female performs a short run. The male then positions himself behind her and copulation occurs. During copulation, the male grasps the nape of the female’s neck with his bill, and both birds flap their wings and fall backward.

Breeding Season and Egg Laying

• Porto Rico: January
• Florida: Late March
• California: Early March
• In other regions, the first eggs are laid between mid-March and mid-May.
• Usually two or three broods occur, but the last eggs are never laid after mid-July. Each brood consists of three eggs.

Incubation

The female and male take turns incubating during the day and night. Both individuals have a single brood patch on the belly. The incubation period ranges from 26 to 32 days.

Three to four days before hatching, chicks may emit sounds; vocalizations can be heard one or two days prior. Eggs may hatch at any time of day. Chicks are precocial and develop mobility rapidly.