Sandpipers & Snipes in West Sussex
Our list for West Sussex has 22 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 3 summer visitors, 8 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in West Sussex in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 22, most common first
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentCommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusResidentCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosPassage migrantCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusPassage migrantCommon21–24 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
GreenshankTringa nebulariaSummer visitorCommon30–35 cmRecorded all year
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Jul–May
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusWinter visitorUncommon29–31 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaSummer visitorUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly May–Oct
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiScarceUncommon13–15 cm
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorRare20–22 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Temminck's Stint 13–15 cm
- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Green Sandpiper 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