Plovers, curlews, whimbrels, willets, tattlers, dunlits and godwits: these lyrical names represent only a few of the shorebirds that inhabit our world.

   Most shorebirds are long-legged and graceful. They are found on shores and mudflats where tides have receded, leaving behind the little aquatic creatures that are part of the shorebirds' diet. These birds spend almost half their time in flight. They fly some of the longest migrations known, moving from nesting grounds in the farthest reaches of the north to wintering grounds in southernmost South America. Worldwide, there are 203 species of shorebird in 12 families. Come and meet some of them!