(noun) The scientific family classification for all sandpipers. Roughly 80-90 species are part of the Scolopacidae family, including curlews, godwits, turnstones, tattles and snipes. While there is great variety among the individual species, they do share several common characteristics, such as:
- Primarily molluscivorous and insectivorous diets
- Long, sensitive bills vary in length and shape for specific foraging needs
- Long body shapes and relatively narrow wings
- Typically neutral mottled plumage, often with countershaded coloration
- Precocial young leave the nest very soon after hatching
Scolopacidae birds are found worldwide, missing only from Antarctica and the driest desert habitats. Depending on the individual species, these birds can be found on beaches and along waterways, as well as in grasslands and wetlands.
Familiar species in the Scolopacidae family include the sanderling, spotted sandpiper, upland sandpiper, surfbird, red knot and Wilson's snipe.
Photo – Sanderling © Pedro Szekely
SKOH-loh-PAAH-sih-deye or skoh-loh-paah-SEYE-DAY
Sandpipers
