Sandpipers & Snipes in Highland
Our list for Highland has 18 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 2 summer visitors, 9 winter visitors, 3 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Highland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRegularly Jul–May
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoResidentUncommon25–27 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Jul–May
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaWinter visitorUncommon40–44 cmRegularly Jul–May
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantRare17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Jan
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaScarceRare18–23 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Redshank 27–29 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