Sandpiper

Sandpipers are a group of birds that live near water, especially on beaches and muddy areas. They belong to a larger family called Scolopacidae, which also includes other birds like woodcocks, curlews, and snipes. These birds have long legs and narrow wings, and they are good at finding small creatures to eat in the mud and sand. They use their sensitive bills to feel for food as they walk through the water and dirt.

Sandpipers come in different sizes, ranging from about the size of a small bird up to almost two and a half feet long. Most of them have brown or grey feathers that help them blend into their surroundings, but some show brighter colours when it is time to have babies. They usually make simple nests on the ground and lay three or four eggs. The baby birds can walk and find their own food soon after they are born, which helps them grow quickly.

Taxonomy

The family Scolopacidae was introduced in 1815 by the French scientist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. This family includes 98 species spread across 15 different groups, or genera. You can find more information in the article List of sandpiper species.

Image	Genus	Living and recently extinct species
	Bartramia F. Boie, 1826	Upland sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda
	Numenius Brisson, 1760	Bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis Eurasian whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus Hudsonian whimbrel, Numenius hudsonicus Little curlew, Numenius minutus †? Eskimo curlew, Numenius borealis (last seen in 1987) Long-billed curlew, Numenius americanus Far Eastern curlew, Numenius madagascariensis † Slender-billed curlew, Numenius tenuirostris (last seen in 1995) Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata
	Limosa Brisson, 1760	Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa Hudsonian godwit, Limosa haemastica Marbled godwit, Limosa fedoa
	Limnodromus Wied-Neuwied, 1833	Asian dowitcher, Limnodromus semipalmatus Long-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus Short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus
	Lymnocryptes F. Boie, 1826	Jack snipe, Lymnocryptes minimus
	Scolopax Linnaeus, 1758	American woodcock, Scolopax minor (large North American range) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola (large Eurasian range) Amami woodcock, Scolopax mira (endemic to the Amami Islands in Japan) Bukidnon woodcock, Scolopax bukidnonensis (endemic to Luzon and Mindanao in the Philippines) Javan woodcock, Scolopax saturata (endemic to Sumatra and Java in Indonesia) New Guinea woodcock, Scolopax rosenbergii (endemic to New Guinea) Sulawesi woodcock, Scolopax celebensis (endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia) Moluccan woodcock, Scolopax rochussenii (endemic to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia)
	Coenocorypha G. R. Gray, 1855	† North Island snipe, Coenocorypha barrierensis Oliver, 1955 – also known as the Little Barrier Snipe † South Island snipe, Coenocorypha iredalei Rothschild, 1921 – also known as the Stewart Island Snipe Chatham snipe, Coenocorypha pusilla (Buller, 1869) – Chatham Islands Snares snipe, Coenocorypha huegeli (Tristram, 1893) – Snares Islands Subantarctic snipe, Coenocorypha aucklandica (G. R. Gray, 1845) Auckland snipe, C. a. aucklandica (G. R. Gray, 1845) – Auckland Islands Antipodes snipe, C. a. meinertzhagenae Rothschild, 1927 – Antipodes Islands Campbell snipe, C. a. perseverance Miskelly & Baker, 2010 – Campbell Island † Forbes's snipe, Coenocorypha chathamica (Forbes, 1893) – Chatham Islands † Viti Levu snipe, Coenocorypha miratropica Worthy, 2003 – Fiji † New Caledonian snipe, Coenocorypha neocaledonica Worthy et al., 2013 – New Caledonia † Norfolk snipe, Coenocorypha sp. – Norfolk Island
	Gallinago Brisson, 1760	Imperial snipe, Gallinago imperialis Jameson's snipe, Gallinago jamesoni Fuegian snipe, Gallinago stricklandii Solitary snipe, Gallinago solitaria Wood snipe, Gallinago nemoricola Great snipe, Gallinago media Swinhoe's snipe, Gallinago megala Pin-tailed snipe, Gallinago stenura Latham's snipe, Gallinago hardwickii African snipe, Gallinago nigripennis Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata Giant snipe, Gallinago undulata Noble snipe, Gallinago nobilis Puna snipe, Gallinago andina Madagascar snipe, Gallinago macrodactyla Pantanal snipe, Gallinago paraguaiae Magellanic snipe, Gallinago magellanica
	Phalaropus Brisson, 1760	Wilson's phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor Red phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus
	Xenus Kaup, 1829	Terek sandpiper, Xenus cinereus
	Actitis Illiger, 1811	Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos (of Eurasia) Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularius (of North America)
	Tringa Linnaeus, 1758	Green sandpiper, Tringa ochropus Solitary sandpiper, Tringa solitaria Grey-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes (formerly Heteroscelus brevipes) Wandering tattler, Tringa incana (formerly Heteroscelus incanus) Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola Common redshank, Tringa totanus Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes Nordmann's greenshank, Tringa guttifer Willet, Tringa semipalmata (formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) Spotted redshank, Tringa erythropus Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca
	Prosobonia Bonaparte, 1850	† Kiritimati sandpiper, Prosobonia cancellata † Tahiti sandpiper, Prosobonia leucoptera † Moorea sandpiper, Prosobonia ellisi Tuamotu sandpiper, Prosobonia parvirostris
	Arenaria Brisson, 1760	Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Black turnstone, Arenaria melanocephala
	Calidris Merrem, 1804	Great knot, Calidris tenuirostris Red knot, Calidris canutus Surfbird, Calidris virgata Ruff, Calidris pugnax Broad-billed sandpiper, Calidris falcinellus Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata Stilt sandpiper, Calidris himantopus Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea Temminck's stint, Calidris temminckii Long-toed stint, Calidris subminuta Red-necked stint, Calidris ruficollis Spoon-billed sandpiper, Calidris pygmaea Buff-breasted sandpiper, Calidris subruficollis Sanderling, Calidris alba Dunlin, Calidris alpina Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima Rock sandpiper, Calidris ptilocnemis Baird's sandpiper, Calidris bairdii Little stint, Calidris minuta Least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla White-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos Western sandpiper, Calidris mauri Semipalmated sandpiper, Calidris pusilla

Evolution

The early history of sandpipers and their relatives is not well known, especially from the time when dinosaurs were still around. Some old bones found in Spain might be from this group, but scientists aren't sure. Other ancient bones have been found in Canada and Germany, showing that many of today's sandpiper types were developing between the Oligocene and Miocene times. There are also some old bones that could belong to current sandpiper species or their long-lost relatives, discovered in places like the Czech Republic, Austria, and the United States.

Main article: Fossil
Main articles: Dinosaurs · Waders

Description

Sandpipers come in many different sizes and looks, showing a wide range of ways they live and eat. They range from the tiny least sandpiper, which weighs just 18 grams and is 11 cm long, to much larger birds like the Far Eastern curlew, which can be up to 66 cm long. Some sandpipers have males that are larger than females, while in others the females are larger. Most have long, thin bills and three forward-pointing toes, though one kind, the sanderling, does not have a hind toe.

Sandpipers use their bills to feel for food in mud or water, and they have special sensors at the tips of their bills to help them find small creatures. Their bills can be straight, slightly curved, or strongly curved, and they can move the bones in their bills to help catch food better. This special ability helps them pick up tiny animals hidden in the sand or water.

Distribution, habitat, and movements

The sandpipers can be found almost everywhere in the world, except in Antarctica and the driest deserts. Most of them live and raise their young in the colder parts of the north, where they are some of the northernmost birds. Only a few kinds of sandpipers live in tropical areas. These include some snipes, woodcocks, and a special bird called the Tuamotu sandpiper, which lives in French Polynesia. Before humans arrived in the Pacific, there were even more types of these birds in Polynesia.

Diet and feeding

Sandpipers have different ways of finding food. Some pick at the ground in dry places, while others look for small creatures in soft mud or sand. A few, like the Tringa shanks, chase small fish in shallow water. Others dip their bills in water to catch tiny animals. Some sandpipers also eat seeds and plants along with small creatures.

Breeding

Many sandpipers form pairs for mating, but some species have different ways of caring for their young. Some species have only females taking care of the eggs, while others have only males. In some cases, the females may mate with multiple males. Sandpipers usually lay three or four eggs in a simple nest on the ground, often just a small dip lined with soft plants.

Both parents may take turns watching the eggs, with one sitting on them while the other rests or feeds. In some species, one parent watches the eggs almost all the time, especially at night, and takes short breaks during the day to find food. The eggs hatch after about three weeks, and the baby birds can walk and start looking for food within a few hours. One or both parents help the young chicks stay safe and find food.

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