Sandpipers & Snipes in Hawaii
Our list for Hawaii has 15 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 4 winter visitors, 5 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Hawaii in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Sep–Jan
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataPassage migrantUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Sep–Dec
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesPassage migrantUncommon23–27 cmRegularly Aug–Jan
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorRare16–22 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Feb
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantRare20–32 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Sep–Dec
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusResidentRare20–22 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriScarceRare14–17 cm
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusScarceRare23–32 cm
Red KnotCalidris canutusScarceRare23–26 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentRare40–46 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Least Sandpiper 13–15 cm
- Western Sandpiper 14–17 cm
- Semipalmated Sandpiper 15–18 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 17–22 cm
- Pectoral Sandpiper 19–23 cm
- Grey Phalarope 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Lesser Yellowlegs 23–27 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Short-billed Dowitcher 23–32 cm
- Long-billed Dowitcher 27–30 cm
- Whimbrel 40–46 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