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Not easy to identify as only two or three birds nest at a secret location in the Scottish Highlands.

British Birds - Sandpiper Relatives

Sandpipers and their relatives are shorebirds that feed along coasts, lakes and marshes. Test your knowledge of these slim, quick waders.

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Fascinating Fact:

Snipes are cryptically coloured birds of wet, vegetated edges, and they probe mud with long bills, usually appearing alone or in small numbers.

In Specialist Nature, sandpipers and their relatives are a group of “waders”, birds adapted for feeding in shallow water and soft ground. This quiz looks at where they live, what they eat, and the field marks that help you identify similar species, such as leg length, bill shape, size, movement and habitat.

Key Terms

Wader: A bird that feeds in shallow water or wet ground, often with long legs for walking through the shallows.
Mudflat: A wide, flat area of soft mud exposed at low tide, rich in small animals that shorebirds eat.
Bill: A bird’s beak, often shaped to match how it finds and eats food.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are sandpipers and why are they called wading birds?

Sandpipers are shorebirds that often feed at the edge of water. They are called wading birds because many species walk through shallow water or wet mud to find insects, worms and small shellfish.

How can I tell a sandpiper from a plover?

Many sandpipers have longer, slimmer bills and often feed by picking or probing as they move. Plovers are usually more compact with shorter bills, and they often pause, watch, then run and grab prey.

Where do sandpipers and other waders live in the UK?

In the UK, waders can be found on coasts, estuaries and tidal flats, as well as inland wetlands like lakes, rivers, marshes and flooded fields. Some are year-round residents, while others migrate seasonally.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Mdf

Red Knot

Whimbrel

Sanderling

Common Redshank

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Calidris alba
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
It can be told from other small wading birds, given good views, by its lack of a hind toe.
It is a complete migrant, travelling between 3,000 to 10,000 km.

2 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of J J Harrison

Whimbrel

Common Greenshank

Spotted Redshank

Red Knot

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tringa nebularia
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species And Passage Migrant
The usual call is a rapid series of three short fluty notes syllabilized as 'teu-teu-teu'.
Like most waders, they feed on small invertebrates.

3 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.fws.gov/

Whimbrel

Sanderling

Red Knot

Turnstone

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Arenaria interpres
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
They spend most of their time creeping and fluttering over rocks, picking out food from under stones.
Can be seen all around the UK coastline.
Will feed along seawalls and jetties.

4 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Arjan Haverkamp

Red-necked Phalarope

Ruff

Spotted Redshank

Common Greenshank

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Philomachus pugnax
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Passage Migrant And Scarce Breeding Resident
It is highly gregarious on migration, travelling in large flocks that can contain thousands of individuals. One flock in Senegal contained a million birds.

5 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of J M Garg

Common Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Red Knot

Turnstone

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tringa erythropus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor And Passage Migrant
A relatively scarce wintering species in the UK, with over half the population found at fewer than ten sites.
These birds eat insect larvae, shrimps and worms.

6 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.fws.gov/

Common Greenshank

Red-necked Phalarope

Temminck's Stint

Turnstone

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Phalaropus lobatus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor: Scarce & Localised Summer Breeding In Far North
These small, delicate waders have adapted well to spending a lot of time on water.
Have lobed toes which enable them to swim strongly when out at sea.

7 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Spotted Redshank

Red-necked Phalarope

Temminck's Stint

Common Redshank

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Calidris temminckii
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
Two or three birds nest at a secret location in the Scottish Highlands, and fewer than 100 birds are seen on migration each year, largely in eastern England.

8 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Whimbrel

Common Redshank

Turnstone

Common Greenshank

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tringa totanus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
A medium-sized wading bird.
In winter, as many as half of the birds in Britain may be from Iceland.
It is an abundant and widespread wading bird on coasts - look for it at RSPB coastal reserves.

9 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.fws.gov/

Common Redshank

Red Knot

Spotted Redshank

Whimbrel

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Calidris canutus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor And Passage Migrant
Their diet varies according to season; arthropods and larvae are the preferred food items at the breeding grounds.
This species forms enormous flocks when not breeding.

10 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Whimbrel

Turnstone

Common Greenshank

Temminck's Stint

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Numenius phaeopus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Breeding Summer Visitor
The nest is a bare scrape on tundra or Arctic moorland.
Three to five eggs are laid.
Adults are very defensive of their nesting area and will even attack humans who come too close.

Author: Sarah Garratty

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