Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:  Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) bairdii (named for naturalust Spencer Baird)

Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) at Rutland Water, Rutland, UK - October 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 38g  /  Length: 18-19cm  /  Wingspan: 43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A tiny wader that breeds on the most Northerly Tundra of Alaska and Canada, as well as small footholds in Siberia and Greenland.  They are extreme long distance migrants, wintering at the Southern end of South America, and it is this colossal journey that makes them fairly prone to vagrancy, with a handful being found in the UK each year. Their most diagnostic feature is the extremely long wings

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris 
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Single individual seen at Rutland Water in October 2025

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Tringa (bird named by Aristotle) stagnatilis ("swamp")

Adult in Winter plumage of Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) at Side, Antalya, turkey - March 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 45-120g  /  Length: 22-26cm  /  Wingspan: 55-59cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A species with a somewhat unusual breeding range as it favours the steppe of Central Asia to breed and the core range is Moldova to the Russian Far East, however, it's Wintering range is huge and varied comprising almost all of sub-Saharan Africa, India, South East Asia and Australia.While it does have a patchy distribution in North Eastern Europe, this bird in Turkey would have been on passage.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Tringa
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

TURKEY  - Turkish: Bataklık düdükçünü ("Swamp whistler")
 - ANTALYA 2025 TRIP - One near Side. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) pusilla ("very small")

 Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla ) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - October 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 20-32g  /  Length: 13-15cm  /  Wingspan: 35-37cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A small North American wader which gets its name from the partial webbing between it's toes, the Semipalmated Sandpiper is another Arctic breeding long-distant migrant species that Winters in South America. It turns up as a vagrant in Europe in most years.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Vagrant seen at Frampton Marshes in October 2023. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) subruficollis ("rufous-necked") 

Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - October 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 63g  /  Length: 19-23cm  /  Wingspan: 46cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

An unusual looking wader that breeds in the Arctic of Alaska, Canada and Russia before taking part in a vast migration down to Winter in Uruguay and the surrounding areas. It's vast migration makes it prone to vagrancy, and has turned up in many parts of the world. They leave the nest within 12 hours of hatching and are able to feed themselves.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Vagrant seen at Frampton Marshes in October 2023.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) mauri (after botanist Ernesto Mauri)

Nonbreeding Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) at Berkeley, California - August 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 22-35g  /  Length: 14-17cm  /  Wingspan: 35-37cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Western Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the Western most edge of Alaska and just into the tip of Siberia, before migrating southwards to Winter around the majority of the coast of the Lower 48, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and upper South America. In terms of European equivalent, their bill shape and proportions put me in mind of dunlin, although their non-breeding plumage is much brighter.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, Wintering along most of the Southern and Western States
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Hayward, Berkeley and Monterey

 Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) minutilla ("very small") 

Winter plumage Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) at Monterey, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 19-30g  /  Length: 13-15cm  /  Wingspan: 27-28cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The smallest of all waders, the Least Sandpiper is an extremely diminutive bird with distinctive yellow feet that make it easy to pick out for a bird of its size. It nests in Tundra and Bogs and Winter from the Southern USA to the northern third of South America, primarily on mudflats.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, Wintering along most of the Southern States
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Hayward, Berkeley and Monterey
 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Actitis (coast-dweller) macularius ("spot")

First Winter Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) at Berkeley, California - August 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 34-50g  /  Length: 18-20cm  /  Wingspan: 40cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

It is certainly the case that rare birds can turn up in the most peculiar of locations - in this particular case, along the margins of an artificial white water course in Nottingham.  It must be the first time when going to see a rare species came with spectator stands.  The spotted sandpiper is the equivalent of the Common Sandpiper for the America, breeding in the North and Wintering in the South.  Although this first Winter individual doesn't have them, the name comes from the breeding plumage adults which have a highly speckled breast.

Related Species:

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Actitis

Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A very rare vagrant

 - Single bird seen at Holme Pierrepont (January 2018) 

UNITED STATES 
Breeds throughout most of Alaska and Lower 48, Winters in South, Resident on West Coast
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Berkeley

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)

OTHER NAMES: Bonaparte's Sandpiper

Latin Etymology: Calidris (grey waterbird mentioned by Aristotle) fuscicollis ("dusky/brown")

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - September 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 42g  /  Length: 17-20cm  /  Wingspan: 43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Another North American vagrant species, they nest on the Northern Tundra of Canada and Alaska, and then Winter in northern South America. It is considered scarce in the UK and in all liklihood, you'll probably only find one if it's pointed out to you as it looks very much like a dunlin. It is however, slightly smaller, with a shorter, straighter beak and most tellingly very long wings which extend past the end of its tail when walking. Not necessarily the most visually stunning species in the world, but still incredibly impressive when you consider what a harsh environment this tiny fellow normally lives in and how far he's traveled to get here!

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant from North America.

 - A single bird seen at Rutland Water in October 2011, another at Frampton Marshes in September 2023.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

OTHER NAMES: American Pectoral Sandpiper, Grass Snipe
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird mentioned by Aristotle) melanotos ("black-backed")

Adult Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotus) in non-breeding plumage, at Pitsford Reservoir, Northants - September 2011

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 73g  /  Length: 21cm  /  Wingspan: 46cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Pectoral Sandpiper is a primarily a North American species, and is not established in Europe, but is one of the most consistent New World vagrants to reach Europe. It has even apparently bred once or twice, but the exact information about that seems fairly hidden beyond "it did happen". Care must be taken to differentiate it from Dunlin - the key feature being the clean cut line on the chest where the markings stop and go to white - hence the name "pectoral". It is generally juveniles which turn up here, and because they can literally arrive anywhere, it is almost certainly easier to follow reports from other people rather than to go off to try and find your own, unless there has been a particular influx.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare but annual vagrant, has reportedly bred on a small number of occasions

 - Vagrant bird seen at Pitsford Reservoir in September 2011.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Tringa (unidentified bird named by Aristotle) glareola ("gravel")

Adult Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glarola) at Florican Grasslands, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 55g  /  Length: 19-23cm  /  Wingspan: 56-57cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Wood Sandpipers are quite a rare species in the UK - they pass through on passage in reasonable numbers, but, only a small number pairs breed in the country each year - all in the Scottish Highlands. It is most easily separated from the other species named sandpipers by the prominent speckling and prominent eye-stripe - though actually the name is a little misleading - it is more closely related to the "shanks" than the Common Sandpiper.  My first sighting was seen while on passage, which is probably the best way to see them in the UK without a trip to Scotland. Much later, I saw two in Cambodia, which are Wintering grounds for this species, and therefore much more easily seen there.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Tringa
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A very rare breeding species (11-27 pairs) and rare passage migrant

 - A single bird seen on passage at Summerleys Nature Reserve in May 2011.

CAMBODIA - Khmer - ទីតលីតស្លាបក្រោមត្នោតខ្ចី ("Beige Underwing")

A Winter migrant

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: One Florican Grassland Reserve

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (grey waterbird mentioned by Aristotle) maritima ("of the sea")

Adult  Purple Sandpiper  (Calidris maritima) at Bridlington Harbour, East Yorkshire -  April 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 50-105g  /  Length: 20-22cm  /  Wingspan: 40-46cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Purple Sandpiper is one of these birds where I cant really say where it's name comes from, it is only very slightly purple if you squint at it in certain lights. According to the RSPB, this bird is found mainly North of the Humber, but I found a trio of these fellows along a bit of rocky jetty in Herne Bay in Kent. Supposedly, South End and Margate are also good for them, so perhaps that area is worth checking out too. When identifying this bird look for the curved yellow beak and stubby yellow legs. These ones weren't too hard to photograph at all - they were relatively close to me and didn't seem bothered, although they had the benefit of a railing and a scramble across slippery rocks to their benefit if I had been trying to eat them or something.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies - none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - An uncommon and local Wintering species (13000 birds) and very rare breeding species (1-3 pairs)

 - A small number at Herne Bay in February 2012,associating with some roosting redshank.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Red Knot (Calidris canutus)

OTHER NAMES: Knot

Latin Etymology: Calidris (grey waterbird mentioned by Aristotle) canuta (named for legendary King Canute)

Moulting Red Knot (subspecies C. c. islandica) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - August 2023

Featured Subspecies: Calidris canutus islandica
Weight: 100-200g  /  Length: 80-100cm  /  Wingspan: 121-160cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

 The name "knot" is derived from the legendary king Canute and his own inability to hold back the tide - pretty fitting for a shorebirds whose life is structured around their movements.  The knot is an exclusively coastal based wader (although, as with most birds, there are going to be occasional exceptions for vagrants) best known for the huge flocks it forms when roosting. It is primarily found in the mouths of major estuaries. The main downside to this bird is that it is present only in the Winter, and going near mudflats in Winter isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea. In its rather drab Winter colours it is not necessarily that easy to pick out amongst similarly drab dunlin, but it's main identifying feature is that it is the largest of the sandpiper-y waders, though not as the larger plovers like golden or grey.

Related Species:

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: C. c. roselaari, C. c. rufa, C. c. canutus, C. c. islandica, C. c. rogersi, C. c. piersmai

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Locally abundant Winter migrant (320,000 birds)

 - A number seen at Elmley Marshes on Winter visits to the first hides.

  

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

OTHER NAMES: Pygmy Curlew, Curlew Stint, Redcrop
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) ferruginea ("rust coloured")

 Adult moulting Curlew Sandpiper  (Calidris ferruginea) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - August 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 43-67g  /  Length: 19-21.5cm  /  Wingspan: 48-41cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The curlew sandpiper is a passage migrant that mainly passes through the UK in August and September, your best bet to see them is probably visiting estuaries and marshes during these months. I can't claim to have any further information on seeing them, but they didn't seem notably more difficult to photograph than any other wader for their size.  Though they are fairly similar in size to Dunlin, they can be identified by the grey plumage and longer curved beaks.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - An uncommon passage migrant (670 birds) 

 - Seen on migration at Rutland Water in 2010.  Better views had at Oare Marshes in September 2010.

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Ruff (Calidris pugnax)

OTHER NAMES: Reeve

Latin Etymology: Philomachus ("pugnacious") pugnax ("fond of fighting")

Winter Plumage Ruff (Calidris pugnax) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - February 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 180g  /  Length: 29-32cm  /  Wingspan: 54-60cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Ruff is the sole member of its genus, which is found in the broader "sandpipers and allies" family of Scolopacidae. In the UK, it is actually a relatively rare bird with only 800 wintering and less than 40 breeding, and otherwise mainly seen on passage. Not knowing this, before I started the Bird-dex I actually must have seen a sizable chunk of that 700 on one lagoon at Rutland Water at one point, and at the time I didn't think much of it, but subsequently I've never seen such a large quantity at once. Oare Marshes in Spring and Autumn seems to be a pretty reliable site to get good close up views of these birds.  Ruff are a very variable species visually, that can come in a variety of colours, not even counting the spectacular namesake ruff which is hard to see in this country.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A very rare breeding secies (0-11 females) and scarce Wintering species (820 birds) 

 - Seen at Rutland Water, Oare Marshes, Pitsford Reservoir and Rainham - generally in Autumn.

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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