Sandpipers & Snipes in Cornwall
Our list for Cornwall has 26 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 1 summer visitor, 15 winter visitors, 6 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Cornwall in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 26, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorCommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–May
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Dec–Oct
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentUncommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Aug–Dec
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Sep–May
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaPassage migrantUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Jul–May
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Aug–May
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Dec
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusWinter visitorUncommon29–31 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Baird's Sandpiper 14–17 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Grey Phalarope 20–22 cm
- Pectoral Sandpiper 19–23 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Green Sandpiper 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
- 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