Sandpipers & Snipes in Orkney Islands
Our list for Orkney Islands has 19 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 7 summer visitors, 7 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Orkney Islands in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 19, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusResidentCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoResidentCommon25–27 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaSummer visitorCommon16–22 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaPassage migrantCommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantCommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorCommon23–26 cmRegularly May–Oct
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantCommon20–32 cmRegularly May–Oct
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaSummer visitorCommon40–44 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantCommon17–19 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Jun–Oct
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusScarceUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly May–Oct
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Common Sandpiper 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
- 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