Sandpipers & Snipes in France
Our list for France has 30 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 2 summer visitors, 15 winter visitors and 9 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in France in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 30, most common first
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorUncommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
GreenshankTringa nebulariaResidentUncommon30–35 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusResidentUncommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Jul–May
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentUncommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Little StintCalidris minutaWinter visitorUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusResidentUncommon29–31 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Jul–May
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Jan
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorRare33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Temminck's Stint 13–15 cm
- Baird's Sandpiper 14–17 cm
- White-rumped Sandpiper 15–18 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Red-necked Phalarope 18–19 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Grey Phalarope 20–22 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Pectoral Sandpiper 19–23 cm
- Green Sandpiper 21–24 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Lesser Yellowlegs 23–27 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