Video: One-legged baby bird’s 5,000km journey to Kalba leaves UAE wildlife expert amazed

A young wading bird with just one leg has been sighted at Kalba Beach, evoking awe and surprise.

Local wildlife expert Mohammad Reza Khan said he was on a routine visit to Kalba on Tuesday morning when he astonishingly found the less than four-month-old Sanderling.

The bird was flying and feeding without any apparent issues despite having travelled roughly 5,000 kilometres from the Arctic Circle.

“Birds depend on their wings for flight, but their legs play a crucial role in take-off and landing," explained Khan.

“For Sanderlings, legs play an even more important part as they must swiftly run towards the water when waves pull back, searching for tiny crabs in the wet sand. Their rapid movements blur their legs as they scurry back and forth on the beach, probing for prey left behind by the retreating waves. I am amazed [at] how this tiny bird is managing all these activities with just one leg after travelling from the Arctic circle to the East Coast of the UAE,” said Khan marvelling at the bird’s resilience.

Sanderlings, classified as medium-sized 'peep' sandpipers, are easily recognised by their pale nonbreeding plumage, black legs, and bill, coupled with their habit of chasing waves.

Adults depart the breeding grounds early, leaving young birds to migrate on their own.

Reza Khan reckons this chick was hatched in July and migrated from a country in the Arctic region before arriving in Kalba enroute to the Red Sea Coast.

It remains uncertain whether the bird was born with one leg or lost it due to injury, although Khan leans toward the former as the more likely scenario.

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