Sanderlings are beachcombers, running frantically back and forth along the waterline in search of food. They eat all sorts of small animals that appear when the water retracts, whether washed ashore, such as small crustaceans, or living in the sandy bottom, such as the Nerine cirratulus. Sanderlings can fly tremendous distances without stopping to rest. They need a sandy beach to find food but they don't find beaches everywhere along their migration route. Therefore, they sometimes need to fly non-stop for 5000 kilometers.