Sandpipers & Snipes in Western Australia
Our list for Western Australia has 17 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 7 residents, 6 summer visitors, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Western Australia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 17, most common first
GreenshankTringa nebulariaResidentCommon30–35 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataSummer visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Jul–May
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaResidentUncommon18–23 cmRecorded all year
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentUncommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusResidentUncommon23–26 cmRecorded all year
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosSummer visitorRare19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
RedshankTringa totanusPassage migrantRare27–29 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
RuffCalidris pugnaxSummer visitorRare20–32 cmRegularly Nov–Jan
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusScarceRare18–19 cm
CurlewNumenius arquataPassage migrantRare50–60 cmRegularly Feb
Little StintCalidris minutaScarceRare13–15 cm
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
- 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
- Black-tailed Godwit 40–44 cm
- Whimbrel 40–46 cm
- Curlew 50–60 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