THE WORLD BIRDS - An Online Bird Book
SHOREBIRDS
Most
Shorebirds walk along shores probing for food with their thin sensitive bills. Bill length varies considerably so differing species can work the same shore and obtain different
food supplies. Shorebirds include sandpipers, godwits, stilts, oystercatchers, plovers, and many more. Shorebirds belong to the
Charadriiformes order which also includes the
Gulls
and Allies.
Note: the term Shorebirds is used in the Americas; elsewhere "waders" is used. We will reserve "waders" for herons and allies.
Some
Charadriiformes families:
Burhinidae:
thick-knees;
Charadriidae:
small plovers,
lapwings;
Glareolidae:
courses, pratincoles;
Haematopodidae:
oystercatchers
Jacanidae:
jacanas;
Recurvirostridae:
avocets, stilts;
Scolopacidae:
small bill sandpipers,
large bill sandpipers
Large bill Sandpipers and Allies
Order Charadriiformes Family Scolopacidae
Sandpipers include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. They have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. Most species have a narrow bill, but otherwise the form and length are quite variable. The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. They generally have dull plumage, with cryptic brown, gray, or streaked patterns, although some display brighter colours during the breeding season. Most species nest in open areas, and defend their territories with aerial displays. The nest itself is a simple scrape in the ground, in which the bird typically lays three or four eggs.
Genus Actitis
Their habitat is near fresh water.
Sandpiper,_Common Actitis hypoleucos Found: North America (rarely),
Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia
Image by: 1)
Juan Emilio 2)
Steve Garvie 3) Dick Daniels - Madagascar
4)
Cristiano Crolle - Racconigi, Italy
5) Dick Daniels - Scotland 6)
Inrun_Shah - Pakistan





Sandpiper,_Spotted Actitis macularia Found: The Americas
Image by:
1) Pat and Keith Taylor 2, 3) Alan D Wilson - Richmond, British Columbia 4)
Winnu 5) Becky_Matsubara - California 6)
Alan - California 7)
Dick - North Carolina 8)
Dick - Puerto Rico 9)
Dick - Florida
10) Dick - Panama
1) Juvenile 2, 3, 4) Breeding









Genus Bartramia - 1 species
Sandpiper,_Upland Bartramia longicauda Found: The Americas
Image by: 1)
Pesayo 2)
Johnath - Ontario, Canada 3)
Dario
Niz - Uruguay 4)
Claudio Timm



Genus Coenocorypha
The New Zealand Snipes are only found on islands around New Zealand. It is unclear how closely related they are to the
Gallinago snipes.
Snipe,_Chatham_Islands Coenocorypha pusilla Found: Chatham Islands of New Zealand
Image by: 1)
Walter_Buller 2)
jan_veenstra

Snipe,_Snares_Island Coenocorypha huegeli Found: Snares Islands (subantarctic islands south of New Zealand).
Image by:
1, 2)
TheyLookLikeUs (
Jake Osborne)

Snipe,_Subantarctic also
Aukland Snipe Coenocorypha aucklandica Found: New Zealand
Image by: 1)
Characters
1)
C. a. perseverance, Campbell Snipe, on Campbell Island
Genus Gallinago
The True Snipes have long bills and camouflage coloring, See also the
New Zealand Snipes and
Painted Snipes.
Snipe,_African Gallinago nigripennis Found: Africa
Image by: 1)
Ian White 2)
Paul Bernard 3, 4) Derek_Keats - South Africa



Snipe,_Andean also
Jameson Snipe Gallinago jamesoni Found: Andes of South America
Image by:1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Dusan_Brinkhuizen
Snipe,_Common Gallinago gallinago Found: North America (Alaska), South America (northwest), Europe, Asia, Africa Indonesia
Image by: 1)
Agustin_Povedano 2)
sjahanmi - dubai 3)
Davis Kwan - Hong Kong 4)
Alpsdake



Snipe,_Fuegian Gallinago stricklandii Found: southern South America
Image by: 1)
Bastian_Gygli - Chile 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Fabrice_Schmitt im Chile

Snipe,_Giant Gallinago undulata Found: South America
Image by: 1, 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Joao_Quental, Ciro_Albano in Brazil

Snipe,_Great Gallinago media Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Image by: 1)
Thho46
Snipe,_Imperial Gallinago imperialis Found: Andes of South America
Image by: 1)
Joseph Smit
Snipe,_Latham's Gallinago hardwickii
Found: Asia, Australasia
Image by: 1)
Jason Girvan - Australia 2)
Oystercatcher - Canberra 3)
Mdekool - Australia 4)
birdsaspoetry



Snipe,_Madsgascar Gallinago macrodactyla Found: Madagascar
Image by: 1) Jerry_Oldenettel
Snipe,_Noble Gallinago nobilis Found: South America
Image by: 1)
Alejandro_Tamayo - Columbia 2)
Columbia Travel

Snipe,_Pin-tailed Gallinago stenura Found: Asia, Africa, Indonesia
Image by: 1)
JJ Harrison 2)
sfitzgerarld86 - Indonesia 3)
Hiyashi Haka 4)
Jason_Thompson - Thailand



Snipe,_Puna Gallinago andina Found: Argentina, Chile, Peru
Image by: 1)
Amy_McAndrews 2)
Luis Fernandez

Snipe,_Solitary Gallinago solitaria Found: eastern Asia
Image by: 1)
ken 2)
Jainy_Kuriakose - India

Snipe,_South_American Gallinago paraguaiae Found: South America
Image by:
1, 2) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 3)
Nick Athanas - Brazil 4)
Qwuito - Brazil



Snipe,_Swinhoe's also
Chinese Snipe Gallinago megala Found: Asia, Australasia
Image by: 1)
Hiyashi Haka 2)
watch-bird.blogspot.tw

Snipe,_Wilson's Gallinago delicata Found: The Americas, Europe (vagrant)
Image by: 1)
Sean Breazeal - Central Utah
2, 3, 4) Alan D Wilson -Near Burns, Oregon
5)
Linda Westerinen - California 6)
Becky_Matsubara - CA 7)
Dick - Ash






Snipe,_Wood Gallinago nemoricola Found: Asia
Image by: 1)
Herbert 2)
Tang Jun 3)
Ulrich_Weber - China


Genus Limnodromus
The dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, but are much shorter legged.
Similar to:
Curlews. Curlews have down-curved bill; Dowitchers have straight bills.
Similar to:
Godwits. Godwits have darker legs than Dowitchers.
Dowitcher, Asian Limnodromus semipalmatus Found: Asia, Australasia
>
Image by: 1)
Charles Lam 2)
Ainus - Taiwan 3)
Changhua Coast Conservation 4) characters
1) Nonbreeding 2, 3, 4) Breeding



Dowitcher, Long-billed Limnodromus scolopaceus Found: North America, Asia. Rare: South America, Europe, Africa
Image by: 1)
Len Blumin - California 2)
J N Stuart - New Mexico 3)
Rick Leche 4)
Maggie Smith - California 5)
Winnu - Washington 6)
Alan D. Wilson 7)
Dick - Sanibel Island, Florida





Dowitcher, Short-billed Limnodromus griseus Found: The
Americas, Europe (rare)
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) Dick - Sunset Beach, North Carolina
Andy_Morffew
9, 10, 11) Breeding













Genus Limosa
Godwit,_Bar-tailed Limosa lapponica Found: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Image by: 1) Australia
Bill Bouton - California
4, 5) Dick - Australia 3)
Oysterctcher - California
6, 7) Tim Bowman, US Fish and Wildlife
Service 8)
Hillary Chambers - Great Britain
2, 9) Cristiano Crolle - Texel, Holland
1, 2) Juvenile 2 - 5) Nonbreeding or female 5) Bar-tailed Godwit and Dunlin 6, 7) Male breeding 8) shows bar-tail.








Godwit,_Black-tailed Limosa limosa Found: North America (infrequent), Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Image by: 1)
Ranbir Mahapatra 2, 9) Agustin_Povedano 3)
Dick Daniels - Australia 4)
Ómar Runólfsson - Iceland
5, 6) Frank Vassen - Poland 7)
Hans Hillewaert - Uitkerkse Polders, Belgium 8)
Cristiano Crolle - Texel, Holland
1, 2, 3) Nonbreeding 4 - 8) Breeding








Godwit,_Hudsonian Limosa haemastica Found: The Americas, Australia (vagrant)
Image by: 1)
nebirdsplus - Massachusetts
2, 3) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 4)
Bill Bouton - Manitoba, CA
1, 2, 3) Nonbreeding 4) Breeding



Godwit,_Marbled Limosa fedoa Found: The Americas
Image by:
1, 2, 5) Dick Daniels- Monterey, California 3)
Dick - Half Moon Bay, CA 4)
Dick - Arizona 6)
Alan D. Wilson - Huntington Beach, California 7)
Len Blumin - Californina 8)
Alan D Wilson - Huntington Beach
1 - 5) Nonbreeding 6, 7) Breeding







Genus Lymnocryptes - 1 species
Snipe,_Jack Lymnocryptes minimus Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Image by: 1)
Marek Szczepanek 2)
Durzan Cirano 3)
Natural_England


Genus Numenius
Curlew also
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Found:
Europe, Asia
Image by: 1)
AngMoKio - the Stuttgart Zoo 2)
Andreas_Trepte
3)
Darren
Bellerby - Hong Kong Wetland Park, Hong Kong 4)
Cristiano Crolle - Racconigi, Italy 5)
Andi_Li




Curlew, Bristle-thighed Numenius tahitiensis Found: west coast North America and some tropical Pacific islands
Image by: 1)
Mick_Thompson - Nome, Alaska 2)
Kristine Sowl - Alaska 3)
USFWS 4)
Charlie Westerinen - Half Moon Bay, California
4) Rare to California. Bird in back is a Black Oystercatcher.



Curlew, Eastern also
Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis Found:
Asia, Australia, New Zealand
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Cairns, Australia



Curlew, Little Numenius minutus Found: Asia, Australasia
Image by: 1)
Wayne Cheng 2, 3) Hyashi Haka 4)
characters - Taiwan



Curlew, Long-billed Numenius americanus Found: North America
Image by: 1)
John Crotty - California 2)
Len Blumin - California 3)
Mike Baird - California
4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - California 7)
Charlie Westerinen - Texas





Curlew, Slender-billed Numenius tenuirostris Found: Northern Africa
Image by: 1)
Gould and Lear
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia
Image by:
1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Half Moon Bay, California 4)
Dick - Galapagos Islands
5) Dick - Panama
6, 7) Dick - Madagascar 8)
Dick - Chile 9)
Elaine R. Wilson -
La Jolla, California








Genus Phalaropus
Phalaropes are unusual amongst shorebirds in that they are pelagic - they spend a great deal of their lives outside the breeding season well out to sea. Phalaropes are unusually salt-loving and feed in great numbers in saline lakes.
Phalarope,_Red Phalaropus fulicarius Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa
Image by: 1)
Billy Liar - West Virginia 2)
Lee Karney
3)
Maggie Smith 4)
Nik_Borrow - UK 5, 6)
Mke Baird - Morro Bay, California 7)
Allan_Hopkins 8)
Andrei Taranchenko - Alaska
1 - 4) Nonbreeding 5) Breeding female 6 - 8) Breeding male







Phalarope,_Red-necked Phalaropus lobatus Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa
Image by:
1, 2) Dick Daniels - Seward, Alaska 3) Omar Runolfsson - Iceland 4)
Ainus 5, 8) Mike Baird - California
6, 9) Alan D Wilson - Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon 7)
USFWS
1, 2) Juvenile 3, 4) Nonbreeding 5) Eclipse female 7) Breeding female 9) Breeding Male







Phalarope,_Wilson's Phalaropus tricolor Found: The Americas, Europe
Image by: 1)
J N Stuart 2)
Amy McAndrews - Mexico 3)
Ken Schneider - California 4)
Dick Daniels - Puno, Peru 5)
Dominic
Sherony 6)
Alan D. Wilson - Oregon 7)
Jerry Oldenettel - New Mexico 8)
Jason Crotty - California
1) Juvenile 2) Juvenile eclipse 3, 4) Nonbreeding 5, 6) Female breeding 7, 8) Male breeding







Genus Scolopax
Woodcocks have stocky bodies, cryptic brown and blackish plumage and long slender bills. Their eyes are located on the sides of their heads, which gives them nearly 360° vision. Unlike in most birds, the tip of the bill's upper mandible is flexible.As their common name implies, the woodcocks are woodland birds. They feed at night or in the evenings, searching for invertebrates in soft ground with their long bills. This habit and their unobtrusive plumage makes it difficult to see them when they are resting in the day.
Woodcock,_Amami Scolopax mira Found: Amami Islands of south Japan
Image by: 1) Momtarou2012 2)
Daniel Smith 3)
Pete_Morris


Woodcock,_American Scolopax minor Found: east North America
Image by: 1)
Phil Brown - Massachuetts 2)
Will_Pollard 3)
Paco Lyptic - Minnesota 4)
Jerry Oldenettel - Michigan 5)
Audrey 6)
Dick Daniels - New Hampshire





Woodcock,_Bukidnon Scolopax bukidnonensis Found: Mindanao and Luzon of the Philippines
Image by: 1)
Bram_Demeulemeester
Woodcock,_Eurasian Scolopax rusticola Found: temperate to subarctic Eurasia
Image by: 1)
Ronald Stabke 2)
Sylvia Duckworth 3)
Roger_Sanderson - England


Woodcock,_Javan Scolopax saturata Found: Sumatra and western Java (Indonesia)
Image by: 1)
Dave_Curtis
Woodcock,_Moluccan Scolopax rochussenii Found: small islands in North Maluku of Indonesia
Image by: 1)
Paulo_Alves
Woodcock,_New_Guinea Scolopax rosenbergii Found: New Guinea
Image by:
1, 2) Katerina_Tvardikova

Woodcock,_Sulawesi Scolopax celebensis Found: Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Image by: 1)
Salvatore Chamu
Genus Tringa
They are mainly freshwater or marsh birds and often have brightly colored legs. They tend to breed in Northern Hemisphere.
Greenshank, Common Tringa nebularia Found: North America (rare), Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Image by: 1)
Ian White - Botswana 2)
JJ Harrison - Tasmania, Australia 3)
Alastair Rae 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Australia 6)
J Dietrich 7, 8) Dick - Madagascar







Greenshank, Nordmann's also
Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer Found: Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philipinnes
Image by: 1)
Joseph Smit 2)
Len_Worthington - Thailand 3)
Frankie Chu


Redshank,_Common Tringa totanus Found: Europe, Asia
Image by: 1)
4028mdk09 2)
Andreas Trepte 3)
Frans_Vandewalle - Belgiun 4)
Frank
Vassen on the Canary Island of Lanzarote
1) Nonbreeding 2, 3, 4) Breeding



Redshank,_Spotted Tringa erythropus Found: North America (vagrant), Europe, Asia, Africa,
Australia
Image by: 1)
Lip Kee Yap 2)
J M Garg - India 3)
Nik_Borrow - England 4)
Charles Lam - Hong Kong 5)
Frans_Vandewalle - Belgium
4, 5) Male breeding




Sandpiper,_Green Tringa ochropus Found: Europe, Asia, Afric
a
Image by:
1, 2)
J M Garg - India 3)
Edwyn Anderton 4)
Dick Daniels - Lake Naivasha, Kenya 5)
Cristiano Crolle - Racconigi, Italy




Sandpiper,_Marsh Tringa stagnatilis Found: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Image by: 1)
Dick Daniels near Johannesburg, South Africa 1)
JJ Harrison - Thailand 2)
Jason Girvan - Australia 3)
Lin_Sun_Fong - Taiwan 4)
Eugene Cheach dec 5)
Sergey Yeliseev - Russia 6)
Steve Garvie - Spain





Sandpiper,_Solitary Tringa solitaria Found: The Americas
Image by:
1) Dick Daniels - New Hampshire 2)
Felix_Uribe - Columbia 3)
Dick - North Carolina 4)
Tim Lindinbaum - Illinois



Sandpiper,_Wood Tringa glareola Found: North America (rarely), Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Image by: 1)
Alnus - Taoyuan County, Taiwan 2)
JJ
Harrison - Thailand
3)
Cristiano Crolle - near Novara, Italy 4)
Dick Daniels - Tanzania
5, 6) Dick - Kenya 7)
Jan_Svetlik






Tattler,_Gray-tailed Tringa brevipes Found: North America (rare), Europe, Asia, Australia
Image by: 1)
JJ Harrison - Australia 2)
honan4108 3)
Alpsdake - Japan 4)
Laurie_Boyle



Tattler,_Wandering Tringa incana Found: The Americas, Asia, Australia
Image by: 1)
Dick Daniels- Kauai, Hawaii
2, 3) Jason Crotty - California 4)
Winnu 5)
Anita_Gould - Sawaii
6) Aaron_Maizlish - California





Willet, (Eastern) Tringa semipalmata semipalmata Found: East coast of The Americas
Image by:
1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Dick Daniels - North Carolina 2)
Dick - Sanibel Island, Florida









Willet (Western) Tringa semipalmata inornata Found: West coast of The Americas
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Half Moon Bay, California 5)
Charlie Westerinen - tHuntington Beach, CA
6)
Alan D. Wilson - Huntington Beach, California





Yellowlegs, Greater Tringa melanoleuca Found: The Americas
Image by:
1, 2, 9, 10, 11) Dick Daniels - North Carolina 3)
Teddy Llovet - California 4)
Elaine R. Wilson - California 5)
Len Blumin - California 6)
Dick - Chile 7)
Don DeBold - California 8)
Cláudio Timm - Brazil 12)
Dick - New Jersey
1) Greater Yellowlegs compared to Dowitchers 3) Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs












Yellowlegs, Lesser Tringa flavipes Found: The Americas
Image by:
1, 2) Wwcsig - New York
3, 4, 7) Dick Daniels - North Carolina
5, 6) Dick - McGee Island, Maine
1 - 4) Nonbreeding 5) Breeding






Genus Xenus - 1 species
Sandpiper,_Terek Xenus cinereus Found: Asia, Africa, Australasia
Image by: 1)
Ainus - Taiwan 2)
Alpsdake - Japan
3, 4) Imrun_Shah - Pakistan 5)
Andi Li



