Sandpipers & Snipes in Australia
Our list for Australia has 18 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 9 summer visitors and 4 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Australia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataSummer visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
GreenshankTringa nebulariaSummer visitorUncommon30–35 cmRecorded all year
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorUncommon18–23 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusResidentRare23–26 cmRecorded all year
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentRare40–44 cmRecorded all year
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorRare19–21 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorRare18–20 cmRecorded all year
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosSummer visitorRare19–23 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly May–Oct
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Nov
RuffCalidris pugnaxSummer visitorRare20–32 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
RedshankTringa totanusPassage migrantRare27–29 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Little StintCalidris minutaSummer visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Oct–Jan
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly Nov
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Red-necked Phalarope 18–19 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 17–22 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Pectoral Sandpiper 19–23 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 cm
- Bar-tailed Godwit 37–41 cm
- Hudsonian Godwit 36–42 cm
- Black-tailed Godwit 40–44 cm
- Whimbrel 40–46 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made