Sandpipers & Snipes in Switzerland
Our list for Switzerland has 22 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 2 summer visitors, 7 winter visitors, 12 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Switzerland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 22, most common first
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Jul–May
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorUncommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusPassage migrantUncommon29–31 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
RedshankTringa totanusSummer visitorUncommon27–29 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantUncommon23–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly May–Sep
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaPassage migrantUncommon40–44 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorRare33–38 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusScarceRare20–22 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Temminck's Stint 13–15 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Grey Phalarope 20–22 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
- 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