Suborder Scolopaci contains one family, Scolopacidae. This family contrains the shorter-blled sandpipers and allies and also longer-billed species such as the godwits and curlews.


Genus Calidris
Calidrids have  sensitive bills that they use to probe along the shoreline to search for food. They often move their feet very rapidly as they run along the water's edge. They fly long distances and many of the species are found on a number of continents.

Dunlin Calidris alpina   Found: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Photographed by: 1 - 7, 8) Dick Daniels - North Carolina
1) Juvenile in November  2) Adult in November

1) April  2, 3) May

Photos Nov. - Jan.


Knot, Red Calidris canutus   Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels on Sanibel Island, Florida   2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8) Dick - North Carolina  
    7) Cláudio Timm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
1) Juvenile  2) Nonbreeding


Sanderling Calidris alba   Found: The Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia
 1) Dick Daniels - Homer, Alaska  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Dick - North Carolina
Sept (juvenile), Jan, Feb, Mar

Apr, May, Sept, Nov


Sandpiper, Curlew Calidris ferruginea Found: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia
Photographed by: 1, 3) Dick Daniels - North Carolina   2) Lip Kee Yap - Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore
3) - curlew is bigger than dunlin 



Genus Limicola - 1 species
This genus is disputed. It has also been placed in Erolia and more recently into Philomachus.

Sandpiper, Broad-billed  Limicola falcinellus  Found: Europe, Asia, Africa, Asutralasia
Photographed by Alastair Rae



Genus Philomachus - 1 species

Ruff Philomachus pugnax   Found: North America (rare), Europe, Africa
Photographed by: 1) Len Blumin - Marin County, California  2) Marek Szczepanek 
 


Genus Tryngites - 1 species

Sandpiper, Buff-breasted  Tryngites subruficollis Found: The Americas, Africa
Photographed by: 1) Dominic Sherony  2, 3) Tim Lenz  4) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil