Sandpipers & Snipes in Belfast
Our list for Belfast has 14 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 1 resident, 4 winter visitors, 8 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Belfast in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 14, most common first
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentCommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorCommon50–60 cmRegularly Jul–May
DunlinCalidris alpinaPassage migrantCommon16–22 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosPassage migrantCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantCommon20–32 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaPassage migrantCommon37–41 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantCommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Jul–Mar
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Aug
SanderlingCalidris albaScarceUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Sep
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–Aug
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Sep
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 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