Sandpipers and Allies
ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES - FAMILY: SCOLOPACIDAE |
91 Species worldwide 34 in Colombia + 2 Vagrant |
Sandpipers and their allies are a diverse group of small to medium-sized shorebirds that are known for their slender bodies, long legs, and long, thin bills. They belong to the family Scolopacidae, which includes various species such as sandpipers, snipes, phalaropes, godwits, and dowitchers. Here are some key points about sandpipers and their allies: Read in Spanish
Physical Characteristics: Sandpipers and their allies have adapted to their coastal and wetland habitats with features like long legs for wading in shallow water, long bills for probing in mud or sand for food, and streamlined bodies for efficient flight. Their plumage is often cryptic, providing camouflage from predators.
Habitat: These birds are commonly found in a variety of coastal, estuarine, and freshwater habitats, including sandy beaches, mudflats, marshes, and tundra. They are often seen foraging along shorelines or in shallow water searching for invertebrates such as worms, crustaceans, and mollusks.
Diet: Sandpipers and their allies are primarily carnivorous, feeding on a variety of small invertebrates. They use their sensitive bills to detect and capture prey hidden in the mud or sand. Some species also feed by probing into the mud or water to find food.
Behavior: These birds exhibit various foraging behaviors, including probing, pecking, and surface feeding. They often move quickly and restlessly along the shorelines, using their agile legs to chase after prey. Many species also perform elaborate courtship displays during the breeding season.
Migration: Sandpipers and their allies are known for their remarkable migrations, with many species traveling long distances between their breeding and wintering grounds. Some species undertake epic journeys, flying thousands of miles across continents and oceans to reach their destinations.
Conservation: Many species of sandpipers and their allies are facing threats such as habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and disturbance at their breeding and wintering sites. Conservation efforts are focused on protecting their critical habitats, especially key stopover sites along migration routes, and mitigating human-induced threats. Sandpipers and their allied species play important ecological roles in coastal and wetland ecosystems worldwide.
Upland and Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
Spanish Name: Correlimos Sabanero
Size: 12 in | 30 cm
Habitat: Dry short pasture grassland only.
Height: < 3500m
Photo: © Tyler Greenly iStock/Getty Images Plus
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Spanish Name: Zarapito Trinador
Size: 18 in | 46 cm
Habitat: Mangroves, estuaries.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Eduardo Lago V.
Long-billed Curlew
Numenius americanus
Spanish Name: Zarapito Americano
Size: 23 in | 58 cm
Habitat: Large expanses of open grassland, ranging from shortgrass prairies to mixed-grass prairies.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Wildnerdpix iStock/Getty Images Plus
Marbled Godwit
Limosa fedoa
Spanish Name: Ajuga Moteada
Size: 18 in | 46 cm
Habitat: Wet grasslands, prairie potholes, and other freshwater wetland environments that provide a mix of grass and water.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Jeff Timmons eBird S37747366 Macaulay Library ML 63269531
Hudsonian Godwit
Limosa haemastica
Spanish Name: Aguja Parda
Size: 15.5 in | 39 cm
Habitat: Coastal estuaries, mudflats, lagoons, and salt marshes. These areas provide ample food resources such as invertebrates.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © mirceax iStock/Getty Images Plus
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Spanish Name: Vuelvepiedras rojizo
Size: 9.5 in | 24 cm
Habitat: Rocky coastal areas with sparse vegetation, nesting on the ground among stones and shrubs.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Jay McGowan eBird S23786037 Macaulay Library ML 45254791
Red Knot
Calidris canutus
Spanish Name: Playero Rojizo
Size: 10.5 in | 27 cm
Habitat: Dry, sparsely vegetated areas, often on gravelly or rocky sites.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © neil bowman iStock/Getty Images Plus
Surfbird
Calidris virgata
Spanish Name: Chorlo de Rompientes
Size: 10 in | 25 cm
Habitat: Rocky shorelines, wave-swept ledges, and intertidal zones where they can forage for food.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © OldFulica iStock/Getty Images Plus
Ruff
Calidris pugnans
Spanish Name: Combatiente
Size: 11 in | 28 cm
Habitat: A variety of wetland habitats, estuaries, flooded fields, mudflats, and freshwater marshes.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © MikeLane45 iStock/Getty Images Plus
Stilt Sandpiper
Calidris himantopus
Spanish Name: Playero Patilargo
Size: 8.5 in | 22 cm
Habitat: Freshwater marshes, flooded fields, lagoons, and coastal mudflats.
Height: <1000 m
Photo: © James Corgill eBird S136926920 Macaulay Library ML 569877931
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Spanish Name: Playero Blanco
Size: 8 in | 20 cm
Habitat: Dry, rocky, or gravelly areas near freshwater bodies.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Jonathan Lugo eBird S31711603 Macaulay Library ML 51358281
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Spanish Name: Playero Buchinegro
Size: 8.5 in | 22 cm
Habitat: Boggy areas for breeding, often near lakes, rivers, or coastal shorelines.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © MikeLane45 iStock/Getty Images Plus
Baird’s Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Spanish Name: Playero Patinegro
Size: 7.5 in | 19 cm
Habitat: Grasslands and the shores of high-altitude lakes and marshes.
Height: <3500 m
Photo: © drferry iStock/Getty Images Plus
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Spanish Name: Playero Diminuto
Size: 6 in | 15 cm
Habitat: Coastal mudflats, estuaries, sandy beaches, and inland wetlands such as marshes and wet meadows.
Height: <3400 m
Photo: © Stephen Waycott iStock/Getty Images Plus
White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
Spanish Name: Playero Culiblanco
Size: 7.5 in | 19 cm
Habitat: Coastal wetlands, mudflats, sandy beaches, and inland water bodies such as marshes and lagoons.
Height: <2600 m
Photo: © Carol Hamilton iStock/Getty Images Plus
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Calidris subruficollis
Spanish Name: Playero Canelo
Size: 8.3 in | 21 cm
Habitat: open habitats such as grasslands, and agricultural fields
Height: <2900 m
Photo: © Ian Davies eBird S46936088 Macaulay Library ML 110171801
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
Spanish Name: Playero Pectoral
Size: 8.5 in | 22 cm
Habitat: Wet grasslands, agricultural fields, marshes, and mudflats.
Height: <3000 m
Photo: © Carol Hamilton iStock/Getty Images Plus
Semipalmate Sandpiper
Calidris pusilla
Spanish Name: Playero Semipalmado
Size: 6.3 in | 16 cm
Habitat: Sandy beaches, coastal mudflats.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Tyler Ficker eBird S46383277 Macaulay Library ML 107458521
Western Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
Spanish Name: Playero Occidental
Size: 6.3 in | 16 cm
Habitat: Mudflats, estuaries, sandy beaches, and mangrove areas.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Nancy Strohm iStock/Getty Images Plus
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Spanish Name: Becasa Piquicorta
Size: 11 in | 28 cm
Habitat: Wet, grassy coastal areas, tundra, and forested wetlands
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Dorian Anderson eBird S55259417 Macaulay Library ML 153902891
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Spanish Name: Becasa Piquilarga
Size: 11.5 in | 29 cm
Habitat: Wet, grassy areas close to ponds, marshes, and other water sources.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © jamesvancouver iStock/Getty Images Plus
Imperial Snipe
Gallinago imperialis
Spanish Name: Becasina Imperial
Size: 12 in | 30 cm
Habitat: Páramo and temperate forest ecosystems, often favoring bogs, marshes, and other wetland areas within these regions.
Height: 3000 - 3700 m
Photo: © Chris Venetz | Ornis Birding Expeditions eBird S132272776 Macaulay Library ML 551655721
Jameson’s Snipe
Gallinago jamesoni
Spanish Name: Becasina Andina
Size: 12 in | 30 cm
Habitat: High-altitude marshes, bogs, and swamps.
Height: 2200 - 4200 m
Photo: © Angus Pritchard eBird S46449907 Macaulay Library ML 121186401
Wilson’s Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Spanish Name: Becasina Común
Size: 10.5 in | 27 cm
Habitat: Wetlands, marshes, bogs, damp meadows, and the edges of ponds and streams.
Height: <3900 m
Photo: © passion4nature iStock/Getty Images Plus
South American Snipe
Gallinago paraguaiae
Spanish Name: Becasina Suramericana
Size: 10 in | 25 cm
Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows, the edges of lakes and rivers, and other freshwater wetlands.
Height: <400 m
Photo: © Caio Brito eBird S56772435 Macaulay Library ML 252410801
Noble Snipe
Gallinago nobilis
Spanish Name: Becasina Paramuna
Size: 13 in | 33 cm
Habitat: Wet grasslands, marshes, and bog at elevations from 2,400 to 4,200 meters (7,875 to 13,780 feet). Páramo ecosystems, a type of high-altitude tropical grassland.
Height: 2500 - 4100m
Photo: © David Monroy Rengifo eBird S58191379 Macaulay Library ML 168575461
Giant Snipe
Gallinago undulata
Spanish Name: Becasina Gigante
Size: 15 in | 38 cm
Habitat: Swamps, marshes, lowland wet grasslands, and the edges of rivers and lakes. It is often associated with habitats that offer dense vegetation for cover.
Height: <1000 m
Photo: © Nick Athanas eBird S121800903 Macaulay Library ML 504244761
Wilson’s Phalarope
Steganopus tricolor
Spanish Name: Faloropo Tricolor
Size: 9 in | 23 cm
Habitat: Shallow wetlands, marshes, and ponds with abundant vegetation.
Height: <3000 m
Photo: © LarryGambon iStock/Getty Images Plus
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatus
Spanish Name: Faloropo Cuellirrojo
Size: 8 in | 20 cm
Habitat: Wetlands, bogs, and shallow ponds where they can find abundant insect prey.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © phototrip iStock/Getty Images Plus
Red Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicarius
Spanish Name: Faloropo Colorado
Size: 8.5 in | 22 cm
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical oceanic waters, often found far offshore.
Height: Sea level
Photo: © Gerald Corsi iStock/Getty Images Plus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Spanish Name: Andarríos Manchado
Size: 7.5 in | 19 cm
Habitat: Freshwater habitats, such as streams, rivers, ponds, lakeshores, and marshes, often opting for areas with minimal human disturbance and ample vegetation.
Height: <3400 m
Photo: © passion4nature iStock/Getty Images Plus
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
Spanish Name: Andarríos Solitario
Size: 8.5 in | 22 cm
Habitat: Wetland habitats, such as muskegs, bogs, and forested ponds, where they can find nesting sites and food resources.
Height: <3400 m
Photo: © passion4nature iStock/Getty Images Plus
Wandering Tattler
Tringa incana
Spanish Name: Playero Errante
Size: 11 in | 28 cm
Habitat: Rocky shorelines, reefs, beaches, and coral atolls. Less commonly found in sandy or muddy environments.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Matt Davis eBird S56731766 Macaulay Library ML 160837731
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
Spanish Name: Playero Aliblanco
Size: 15 in | 38 cm
Habitat: Shallow water or on tidal mudflats, mangroves.
Height: <100 m
Photo: © Brian Reinke iStock/Getty Images Plus
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Spanish Name: Patiamarillo Chico
Size: 10.5 in | 29 cm
Habitat: Wetlands, mudflats, and marshes where they forage for insects, crustaceans, and small fish by probing in shallow water or mud
Height: <3400 m
Photo: © jrphoto6 iStock/Getty Images Plus
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Spanish Name: Patiamarillo Grande
Size: 14 in | 36 cm
Habitat: Mangroves, intertidal mudflats, beaches.
Height: <3400 m
Photo: © Jay McGowan eBird S35870058 Macaulay Library ML 54144291