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Comparing sandpipers, snipes and allies

Waders are tricky: many are small, brown and quickly gone. A few things usually separate them: the length and shape of the bill, leg colour, a white wing bar or rump in flight, and how the bird looks in summer and winter. Tap what you see below; the list then shows only the species that fit everything.

• Within one row you can pick several values (green or yellow legs); across rows everything must match.
• Everything refers to adult birds of the 36 native species in this guide; vagrants and juveniles are on the species pages.
• Bill length is an estimate relative to the head. If in doubt, pick two values.

Species	Length	Legs	Bill	Bill shape	Wing bar	Rump	Breeding	Winter	What to look for
Large species
Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus	50–65 cm	Black/grey	Very long	Downcurved	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	The largest shorebird in this table, with an extremely long curved bill, unstriped crown, cinnamon-buff tone and cinnamon underwing; Hudsonian Whimbrel has a striped crown.
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoa	42–48 cm	Black/grey	Very long	Slightly upturned	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Large, warm cinnamon godwit with a very long, slightly upturned, pink-based bill; in flight a cinnamon underwing and no white rump or wing bar.
Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus	43–46 cm	Black/grey	Very long	Downcurved	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Grey-brown curlew with a curved bill and a striped crown with a pale central stripe; in flight a brown rump without white, and a shorter bill than Long-billed Curlew.
Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensis	40–44 cm	Black/grey	Very long	Downcurved	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Resembles Hudsonian Whimbrel with its striped crown, but has coarse buff spotting on the upperparts and, in flight, a bright cinnamon rump and tail.
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemastica	36–42 cm	Black/grey	Very long	Slightly upturned	White bar	White	Rufous	Pale grey	In flight a black underwing, a narrow white wing bar and a white rump above a black tail; deep chestnut below in summer. Bar-tailed Godwit lacks the white rump.
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponica	37–39 cm	Black/grey	Very long	Slightly upturned	None	Dark	Rufous	Pale grey	Slightly upturned bill and relatively short legs; in flight no wing bar, a barred tail and, unlike Hudsonian Godwit, no white rump. The male is brick-red below in summer.
WilletTringa semipalmata	33–41 cm	Black/grey	Medium	Straight	White bar	White	Brown, streaked	Pale grey	Large grey shank with a thick straight bill and blue-grey legs; rather plain when perched, but in flight a bold black-and-white wing pattern and a white rump.
Medium species
Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleuca	29–33 cm	Yellow	Medium	Slightly upturned	None	White	Brown, streaked	Pale grey	Long yellow legs and a bill about one and a half times the head, slightly upturned and grey at the base; a loud three-note call. Lesser Yellowlegs has a shorter, straight bill.
Upland SandpiperBartramia longicauda	28–32 cm	Yellow	Short	Straight	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Small round head with a large dark eye on a long thin neck, a short yellowish bill and a long tail; stands upright in dry grassland and lands on posts with wings raised.
Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata	27–32 cm	Green/yellow-green	Long	Straight	White rear edge	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Stocky and brown, with a long straight bill, pale stripes along the head and back and barred flanks; flushes with a harsh call in a fast zigzag flight.
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceus	29 cm	Green/yellow-green	Long	Straight	White rear edge	White	Rufous	Pale grey	Long straight bill and, in flight, a white wedge up the back; in summer fully rufous underparts with barred flanks, and a sharp high ‘keek’ call unlike Short-billed Dowitcher.
American WoodcockScolopax minor	25–31 cm	Pink	Long	Straight	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Plump and short-legged, with a long straight bill, crossbars on the rear of the crown and plain orange-buff underparts; lives in woodland and thickets rather than on open mud.
Wandering TattlerTringa incana	26–30 cm	Yellow	Medium	Straight	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	Uniform slate-grey upperparts, wings and rump without white, short yellow legs and a white eyebrow; heavily barred underparts in summer. Teeters on coastal rocks.
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseus	25–29 cm	Green/yellow-green	Long	Straight	White rear edge	White	Rufous	Pale grey	Long straight bill and a white wedge up the back in flight, as in Long-billed Dowitcher, but with a mellow ‘tu-tu-tu’ call, spotted flanks and often a white belly in summer.
SurfbirdCalidris virgata	24–26 cm	Yellow	Short	Straight	White bar	White	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	Stocky, with a short, blunt bill with a yellow base and yellow legs; in flight a white wing bar and a white tail with a broad black tip. Found on surf-washed rocks.
Red KnotCalidris canutus	23–27 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	Faint bar	Dark	Rufous	Pale grey	Stocky and medium-sized, with a straight head-length bill; rufous underparts in summer, plain grey in winter; in flight a faint wing bar and a pale grey, barred rump.
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes	23–27 cm	Yellow	Short	Straight	None	White	Brown, streaked	Pale grey	Long yellow legs and a thin, straight, all-dark bill about the length of the head; a softer one- or two-note call. Resembles Greater Yellowlegs but is smaller and slimmer.
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres	21–26 cm	Orange	Short	Straight	White bar	White	Harlequin	Grey-brown	Stocky, with short orange legs and a short, pointed bill used to flip stones and weed; in summer a black, white and chestnut harlequin pattern. Black Turnstone lacks the chestnut.
Black TurnstoneArenaria melanocephala	22–25 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	White bar	White	Black	As summer	Blackish head, breast and upperparts sharply set off from a white belly, with dark legs; in flight a bold black-and-white pattern without the chestnut of Ruddy Turnstone. Found on Pacific rocky shores.
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor	22–24 cm	Black/grey	Medium	Straight	None	White	Harlequin	Pale grey	The largest phalarope, with a long, needle-thin bill; in flight a white rump and no wing bar. In summer the female has a black eyestripe running into a chestnut neck stripe.
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopus	20–23 cm	Green/yellow-green	Long	Downcurved	None	White	Brown, streaked	Pale grey	Long yellowish-green legs, a long bill with a drooping tip and a white eyebrow; feeds belly-deep in water with a rapid sewing-machine motion, like the dowitchers.
Rock SandpiperCalidris ptilocnemis	18–24 cm	Green/yellow-green	Medium	Downcurved	White bar	Dark	Black	Grey-brown	Stocky sandpiper of Pacific rocky shores with dull greenish-yellow legs and bill base; in summer a rufous back and a black patch on the lower breast, in winter slate-grey like Purple Sandpiper.
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos	19–23 cm	Green/yellow-green	Short	Downcurved	Faint bar	White sides	Brown, streaked	As summer	Densely streaked breast ending in a sharp line against the white belly, yellowish-green legs and a slightly drooping bill; larger and longer-necked than Least Sandpiper, which shares the leg colour.
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima	20–22 cm	Orange	Medium	Straight	Faint bar	Dark	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	Dark and stocky, on surf-washed rocks along the Atlantic coast; plain slate-grey head and breast, orange-yellow legs and an orange-based bill, dull greenish-yellow in Rock Sandpiper.
Red PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius	20–22 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	White bar	White sides	Rufous	Pale grey	Thicker bill than Red-necked Phalarope, with a yellow base; in summer all-rufous underparts with white cheeks, in winter a plain pale grey back and a black eye mask.
Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria	19–23 cm	Green/yellow-green	Short	Straight	None	White sides	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	Dark olive-brown shank with a white eye-ring and greenish legs; in flight a dark rump with white, barred tail sides and a dark underwing, where the yellowlegs show a white rump.
Small species
Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius	18–20 cm	Yellow	Short	Straight	White bar	Dark	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	Olive-brown above and white below, with round black spots and an orange bill in summer; teeters its rear constantly and flies low over water on stiff, flickering wingbeats.
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollis	18–20 cm	Yellow	Short	Straight	None	Dark	Brown, streaked	As summer	Plain buff face and underparts, a large dark eye in a small round head, yellow legs and a short black bill; a scaly back and, in flight, a white underwing.
DunlinCalidris alpina	16–22 cm	Black/grey	Medium	Downcurved	White bar	White sides	Black	Pale grey	A medium-length bill drooping at the tip and black legs; in summer a black belly patch below a rufous back, in winter grey-brown above with a dingy grey breast.
SanderlingCalidris alba	18–20 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	White bar	White sides	Rufous	Pale grey	Pale, busy sandpiper with no hind toe that runs back and forth along the surf; a broad white wing bar, and in winter almost white with a black mark at the bend of the wing.
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus	18–19 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	White bar	White sides	Rufous	Pale grey	Small swimmer with a needle-thin black bill and a dark back with pale stripes; rufous neck sides in summer, pale grey with a black eye mask in winter; spins in circles on the water.
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollis	15–18 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	Faint bar	White	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	In flight a complete white band above the tail; perched, long wings past the tail as in Baird's Sandpiper, but greyer and with streaks extending onto the flanks.
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusilla	15–18 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	White bar	White sides	Brown, streaked	Pale grey	Small grey-brown sandpiper with black legs and a short, straight, blunt-tipped bill; little rufous in the plumage, and a shorter bill than Western Sandpiper.
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii	14–18 cm	Black/grey	Short	Straight	Faint bar	White sides	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	Slender, with wings extending well past the tail, a scaly buff-brown back and a warm buff, finely streaked breast; black legs and a short, straight, thin bill.
Western SandpiperCalidris mauri	14–17 cm	Black/grey	Medium	Downcurved	White bar	White sides	Rufous	Pale grey	Small sandpiper with black legs and a bill longer than Semipalmated Sandpiper's, drooping slightly at the tip; in summer rufous scapulars, crown and ear patch.
Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla	13–15 cm	Green/yellow-green	Short	Downcurved	Faint bar	White sides	Brown, streaked	Grey-brown	The smallest sandpiper in this table: warm brown, with yellowish-green legs and a thin bill with a slightly drooping tip; Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers have black legs.

The features come from the species accounts in this guide, supplemented from standard field guides. Lengths are those on the species pages; the groups are a convenience, not a fixed classification.