Sandpipers & Snipes in China
Our list for China has 25 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 10 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors and 5 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in China in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 25, most common first
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosResidentCommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
GreenshankTringa nebulariaResidentCommon30–35 cmRecorded all year
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRecorded all year
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorUncommon25–27 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
RedshankTringa totanusSummer visitorUncommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Jul–May
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaSummer visitorUncommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusResidentUncommon29–31 cmRecorded all year
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentUncommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataSummer visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantUncommon18–19 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Jul–May
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorRare33–38 cmRegularly Sep–May
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantRare27–30 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Temminck's Stint 13–15 cm
- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Red-necked Phalarope 18–19 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 17–22 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Grey Phalarope 20–22 cm
- Pectoral Sandpiper 19–23 cm
- Green Sandpiper 21–24 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Long-billed Dowitcher 27–30 cm
- Spotted Redshank 29–31 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 cm
- Eurasian Woodcock 33–38 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