Sandpipers & Snipes in Northern Ireland
Our list for Northern Ireland has 20 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 2 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors, 5 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Northern Ireland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 20, most common first
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentCommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Oct–May
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoResidentUncommon25–27 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly May–Feb
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jul–May
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Sep
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusResidentRare29–31 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Aug
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusScarceRare21–24 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 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