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, Great  Calidris tenuirostris  Found: Asia, Australia
Photographed by: 1) JJ Harrison - Thailand  2) Aviceda - Scarborough, SE Queensland, Australia  3) M. Nishimura
1) Nonbreeding  2, 3) Breeding


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


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 


Sandpiper, Pectoral Calidris melanotos   Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand
Photographed by:  1) Alan D Wilson - Cattle Point, Uplands, Near Victoria, British Columbia
    2) Dick Daniels - New Jersey 3) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil  4)  Dominic Sherony


Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Calidris acuminata   Found: North America (rare), Asia, Australia, New Zealand
Photographed by: 1) Alnus  2, 3) Dick Daniels - Australia


Stint, Little Calidris minuta   Found: North America (rarely) Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia
Andreas Trepte 2)  Lip Kee Yap  3) Dick Daniels - Tanzania


Stint, Long-toed   Calidris subminuta  Found: Asia, Australasia
Photographed by: 1) JJ Harrison - Thailand  2) Alnus - Taoyuan County, Taiwan


Stint, Red-necked Calidris ruficollis  Found: Asia, Australasia
Photographed by: 1) JJ Harrison - Tasmania, Australia  2) David Cook  - Cairns, QLD, Australia



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 Renaria

Turnstone, Ruddy Arenaria interpres   North America, Europe, Asia, and visits many other coastlines
Photographed by:  1, 2, 3, 5, 7)  Dick Daniels - North Carolina   4) Dick on Sanibel Island, Florida  6) Dick - Negril, Jamaica