Sandpipers & Snipes in Fife
Our list for Fife has 20 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 2 summer visitors, 8 winter visitors and 5 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Fife in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 20, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorCommon30–35 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentUncommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly May–Mar
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorUncommon25–27 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusResidentUncommon29–31 cmRegularly Sep
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusPassage migrantUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantRare17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Smallest to largest
Length, 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
- Grey Phalarope 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Green Sandpiper 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 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