Auckland snipe

Coenocorypha aucklandica

Photo by Kirk Zufelt (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
Auckland snipe (en); narceja-austral-das-Auckland (pt); bécassine des Auckland (fr); chochita de las Auckland (es); Aucklandschnepfe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species is endemic to New Zealand, where it is found on the Auckland Islands, the Antipodes Islands and Jacquemart Island in the Campbell Island group.

Size:
These birds are 21-24 cm long and have a wingspan of 30-35 cm. They weigh 80-130 g.

Habitat:
The Auckland snipe is found in areas with dense ground cover, including tussock grasslands on cliff tops and moist scrubland.

Diet:
They feed mainly on soil invertebrates, such as earthworms, amphipods, adult and larval insects and fly larvae and pupae.

Breeding:
Auckland snipes are mainly monogamous and polygyny also takes place. They breed in August-April. They nest on the ground, where the female lays 2 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for about 22 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and often each chick follows one of the parents who protects and feeds it for 41-65 days.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a small breeding range and the global population is estimated at 20.000-50.000 individuals. The Auckland snipe was affected by introduced predators, but current efforts to eradicate these predators and reintroduce the species to the Campbell islands halted previous population declines. In past there were local extinctions in several islands, due to the introduction of Pacific rats Rattus exulans, cats, pigs and wekas Gallirallus australis which prey on their eggs and young.

Jack snipe

Lymnocryptes mininus

Photo by Dûrzan Cîrano (Wikipedia)

Common name:
jack snipe (en); narceja-galega (pt); bécassine sourde (fr); agachadiza chica (es); zwergschnepfe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species breeds in Scandinavia, northern Belarus and in northern Russia as far east as Cherskly. They migrate south to winter in western Europe, around the Mediterranean, in sub-Saharan Africa as far south as Kenya, northern D.R. Congo and southern Cameroon, and also in the Arabian Peninsula, India and south-eastern Asia.

Size:
These birds are 17-20 cm long and have a wingspan of 30-42 cm. They weigh 30-85 g.

Habitat:
The jack snipe breeds in open marshes, floodplains and bogs, in forest tundra and northern taiga. Outside the breeding season they use both fresh water and brackish wetlands, favouring a mosaics of moist and waterlogged mudflats with soft, silty mud and dense of tussocks vegetation, namely in swamps, fens, grassy marshes, the margins of rivers and streams, overgrown flood-lands, sewage farms, rice fields, flooded arable fields, damp pastures and wet meadows.

Diet:They feed on adult and larval insects, annelids, small freshwater and terrestrial gastropods and sometimes seeds.
Breeding:Jack snipes breed in May-September and can be monogamous, polyandrous or polygynous. They nest in a scrape on a marshy sedge bed, lined with sedge stems and leaves. The female lays 4 buff eggs with dark brown markings, which she incubates alone for 18-24 days. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hatching. The male and female split brood and care for each group independently.

Conservation:
IUCN status -LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated to be over 1 million individuals. The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends.

American woodcock

Scolopax minor

Photo by Tim Flanigan (Northeast Regional Conservation Needs)

Common name:
American woodcock (en); galinhola-pequena (pt); bécasse d'Amérique (fr); agachadiza americana (es); Kanadaschnepfe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species breeds in the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada, from southern Manitoba and North Dakota to southern Newfoundland and south to northern Florida and north-eastern Texas. The more northern population migrate south to winter in the south-eastern United States along the Gulf coast.

Size:
These birds are 25-31 cm long and have a wingspan of 40-51 cm. Females tend to be larger, weighing 150-280 g while males weigh 115-220 g.

Habitat:
American woodcocks are mostly found in open deciduous forests, also using scrublands, mixed and coniferous forests, and abandoned agricultural fields.

Diet:
They forage on the ground by probing the soil with their long bills, mainly taking earthworms but also other invertebrates such as snails, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, flies, beetles, and ants.

Breeding:
The American woodcock is polygynous with males attracting multiple partners and having no further part in the breeding process after mating. They breed in March-May. The female makes a shallow depression on the ground or sometimes lays the eggs on bare ground. Each female lays 1-5 greyish-orange eggs which she incubates alone for 20-22 days. The chicks leave the nest within hour of hatching and are able to feed themselves after 3-4 days, but relay on their mother for brooding and protection and become independent 31-38 days after hatching. Each female raises a single clutch per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 5 million individuals. the population has undergone a small decline over the last 4 decades, but is not threatened at present.

Dunlin

Calidris alpina

Photo by Jari Peltomäki (Luonto Portti)

Common name:
dunlin (en); pilrito-comum (pt); bécasseau variable (fr); correlimos común (es); Alpenstrandläufer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species breeds at high latitudes in both Europe, America and Asia, from south-eastern Greenland, Iceland and the northern British Isles, through Scandinavia and the Baltic coast, throughout northern Russia, into western and northern Alaska and northern Canada. They migrate south to winter along the coasts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as far south as West Africa, northern India, south-eastern China, Mexico and the northern Caribbean. Also in some inland wetlands.

Size:
These birds are 16-22 cm long and have a wingspan of 32-38 cm. They weigh 36-64 g.

Habitat:
Dunlins breed in wet tundra, wet coastal grasslands, saltmarshes and wet upland moorland. Outside the breeding season they are mostly found in estuarine mudflats, also using sandy beaches, marshes, flooded fields, lagoons and ponds, and saltpans.

Diet:
On the breeding grounds they feed mainly on insects and insects larvae, but elsewhere they feed on various invertebrates such as polychaete worms, small bivalves and molluscs, crustaceans, insects and occasionally small fish.

Breeding:
Dunlins breed in May-July. The male builds the nest, a shallow scrape on the ground lined with grasses, sedges and leaves, where the female lays 4 eggs. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 20-24 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching are able to feed themselves, relying on their parents for protection. They start flying 18-21 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 4,6-6,5 million individuals. The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations are stable or have unknown trends.

Terek sandpiper

Xenus cinereus

Photo by Christodoulos Makris (Trek Nature)

Common name:
Terek sandpiper (en); maçarico-sovela (pt); chevalier bargette (fr); andarríos del Terek (es); Terekwasserläufer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species breeds from Finland to north-eastern Siberia, as far east as the Kolyma river. They migrate south to winter along the coasts of eastern Africa, southern Asia and Australia.

Size:
These birds are 22-25 cm long and have a wingspan of 45-60 cm. They weigh 70-100 g.

Habitat:
The Terek sandpiper breeds in lowland valleys in northern boreal forests and tundra, especially on floodplains with flooded meadows and marshes, and where overgrown moist grasslands alternate with willow scrubland. They also use the shores of lakes, slow-moving rivers and sheltered seas. Outside the breeding season they are found in estuaries and mudflats, coral reefs, sandy and pebbly beaches, sandbars and mudflats at river mouths, coastal swamps, saltpans, coastal lagoons and saltmarsh creeks.

Diet:
On the breeding areas they feed mainly on adult and larval midges, as well as seeds. Outside the breeding season they feed on various insects, small molluscs, crustaceans, spiders and annelid worms.

Breeding:
Terek sandpipers breed in May-August. They are semi-colonial and each nest consists of a shallow depression in open or short vegetation, close to water, typically lined with grass and debris. There the female lays 2-5 eggs, which he mostly incubates alone for 20-24 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, being tended by both parents. They start flying about 15 days after hatching.Each pair raises a single brood per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 160.000-1.200.000 individuals. The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends. This species may be negatively affected by habitat loss and degradation in coastal areas of the Yellow Sea, in China and South Korea, where they have an important staging site.

Eurasian curlew

Numenius arquata

Photo by Jari Peltomäki (Luonto Portti)

Common name:
Eurasian curlew (en); maçarico-real (pt); courlis cendré (fr); zarapito real (es); große brachvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species breeds from France and Ireland to northern Scandinavia and east, through Eastern Europe and Russia as far as northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia and north-eastern China. Most population migrate to winter along the coasts of western and southern Europe, along the coasts of southern Asia, China, southern Japan and Indonesia, along all the coasts of Africa and also inland in Africa, in large wetlands in the Sahel, the Rift Valley and the Okawango river basin.

Size:
These large waders are 50-60 cm long and have a wingspan of 90-105 cm. They weigh 410-1.360 g.

Habitat:
The Eurasian curlew breeds in upland moors, peat bogs, swampy and dry heathlands, fens, open grassy or boggy areas in forests, damp grasslands, meadows, non-intensive farmland in river valleys, dune valleys and coastal marshlands. Outside the breeding season they are found in muddy coasts, bays and estuaries with tidal mudflats and sandflats, rocky and sandy beaches with many pools, mangroves, saltmarshes, coastal meadows, wet grasslands, arable land, and muddy shores of coastal lagoons, inland lakes and rivers.

Diet:
On the breeding grounds they mainly eat insects and their larvae, especially grasshoppers and beetles, but also ants, crane flies, earwigs, flies and moths. They also eat earthworms, and occasionally freshwater crustaceans, amphibians, lizards, chicks and small mammals, and sometimes fruits and other plant material. Outside the breeding season they prey on polychaete worms, molluscs, crabs, shrimps and amphipods, as well as earthworms, insects and spiders, small fishes, amphibians, chicks and eggs of other birds, small mammals and, very occasionally, seeds.

Breeding:
Eurasian curlews breed in April-July. They nest on a large depression in the ground, lined with dry grass and a few feathers, often situated on a tussock or low hummock, among grass or crops, or completely exposed. There the female lays 3-6 light greenish eggs with light brown spots, which are incubated by both sexes for 27-29 days. The chicks are precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching being able to feed themselves. They rely on both parents for protection against predators and adverse weather and fledge 32-38 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population roughly estimated at 77.000-1.065.000 individuals. The more southern breeding populations have declined on average by 30% in recent decades, but the trend for the more northern population is uncertain and may compensate these declines in the south. The main threat affecting the Eurasian curlew is habitat destruction and fragmentation, as a result of afforestation and agricultural intensification and improvement. Conversely, populations in the central Asian steppes have declined following abandonment of farmland and subsequent increases in the height of vegetation, rendering large areas unsuitable for nesting. The species is also threatened by the degradation of migratory staging areas and wintering areas, owing to land reclamation, pollution, human disturbance, reduced river flows and, in some areas, due to hunting pressure.

African snipe

Gallinago nigripennis

Photo by Ronald Bontrop (Biodiversity4all)

Common name:
African snipe (en); narceja-africana (pt); bécassine africaine (fr); agachadiza africana (es); Afrikanische bekassine (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
This species has scattered breeding populations along eastern and southern Africa, in Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, but can winter over all the regions between these breeding areas.

Size:
African snipes are 30-32 cm long and weigh 105-145 g.

Habitat:
These birds are found in fresh water or brackish wetlands, such as vleis, marshes, highland bogs, wetlands around artificial water bodies, ditches, inland deltas, shallow estuaries and lagoons, swampy lake edges, seasonally flooded grasslands and wet moorlands. They are mostly found at altitudes of 1.500-4.000 m, but can be found on lowland wetlands.

Diet:
They feed by probing soft mud with their long bill, taking worms, insect larvae, small molluscs, crustaceans and seeds.

Breeding:
African snipes can breed all year round. They are monogamous, solitary nesters and the nest is built by the female, consisting of a saucer-shaped grass structure placed in a tuft of grass or rushes. There she lays 1-3 eggs, which are incubated for 19-21 days. The chicks are cared for by both parents, fledging 19-20 days after hatching and probably becoming fully independent soon afterwards.

Conservation:
IUCN status -LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large but scattered breeding range. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes. The main threats are habitat loss and degradation through agricultural expansion, encroachment, overgrazing, burning and the drainage of wetlands. Extreme draughts and outbreaks of avian botulism may also pose a threat to this species. Despite theses, overall the African snipe is not considered threatened at present.

Sanderling

Calidris alba

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
sanderling (en); pilrito-das-praias (pt); bécasseau sanderling (fr); correlimos tridáctilo (es); sanderling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
The sanderling breeds in the Arctic region, in northern Russia, northern Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland, migrating south to winter along the coastlines of all continents except Antarctica.

Size:
These birds are 18-22 cm long and have a wingspan of 35-45 cm. They weigh 40-100 g.

Habitat:
Sanderlings breed in the tundra, both in barren stony areas and in areas of sparse vegetation such as willows, sedges, heathers and saxifrage. Outside the breeding season they are mostly found in sandy beaches, but also in rocky intertidal areas, mudflats and lagoons.

Diet:
During the breeding season they mainly eat insects, such as craneflies, midges and mosquitoes, and also some spiders, crustaceans and even plant materials. Outside the breeding season they feed on  small crustaceans, bivalves, polychaete worms and some insects.

Breeding:
Sanderlings breed in June-August. The mating system is very flexible, varying from monogamy to serial polygyny, polyandry and polygynandry. The nest is a scrape on the ground in an open area, sometimes lined with leaves and lichens. There the female lays 4 greenish eggs with brown spots, which are incubated for 23-32 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are lead by one of the parents for a few weeks. They fledge 12-14 days after hatching and become independent 1 week later. Females may lay a second clutch while the male takes care of the chicks from her first clutch. Sanderlings reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 620.000-700.000 individuals. The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing, stable or have unknown trends.

Ruddy turnstone

Arenaria interpres

(Photo from Purple "O" Purple)

Common name:

ruddy turnstone (en); rola-do-mar (pt); tournepierre à collier (fr); vuelvepiedras común (es); steinwälzer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Charadriiformes

Family Scolopacidae

Range:

Ruddy turnstones breed in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, from Alaska, through the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, and into Scandinavia and northern Russia. They migrate south to winter along the coasts of all continents except Antarctica.

Size:

These birds are 21-26 cm long and have a wingspan of 50-57 cm. They weigh 85-150 g.

Habitat:

They breed near the coast or up to several kilometres inland in the high Arctic, nesting on coastal plains, marshes and tundra and showing a preference for mosaics of bare rock, clay or shingle and vegetation near water or in areas that remain damp until late summer. During winter and migration they are found along rocky and shingle shores, breakwaters, sandy beaches with storm-racked seaweed, short-grass saltmarshes, sheltered inlets, estuaries, mangroves swamps, exposed reefs and mudflats with beds of molluscs.

Diet:

During the breeding season they mostly eat insects, including larval and adult Diptera, larval Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, but also spiders and, occasionally, also taking vegetable matter. Outside the breeding season they eat insects, crustaceans, molluscs, annelids, echinoderms, small fish, carrion and birds eggs.

Breeding:

Ruddy turnstones breed in May-August. They form monogamous pairs and nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, lined with a small amount of vegetation, often located on a slight ridge or hummock. There the female lays 4 green-brown eggs with dark brown markings, which she mostly incubates alone for 22-24 days. The chicks are able to leave the nest and feed themselves within a day of hatching, but the adults will brood them and defend them from predators until they fledge, 19-21 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 460.000-800.000 individuals. The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations have unknown trends, and in North America the trend is increasing. They are known to suffer nest predation from feral American mink Neovison vison in some regions but overall the ruddy turnstone is not considered threatened.

Common greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Photo by Rajiv Lather (Birding in India and South Asia)

Common name:

common greenshank (en); perna-verde-comum (pt); chevalier aboyeur (fr); archibebe claro (es); grünschenkel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Charadriiformes

Family Scolopacidae

Range:

These birds breed from from Scotland and Scandinavia, eatwards along the tundra and taiga areas of Siberia all the way to Kamchatka. They migrate south to winter in western Europe, the Mediterranean region, along the the coasts of Africa down to South Africa, then into southern Asia, in the Middle East, across the Indian sub-continent, in the Sunda islands and in Australia.

Size:

Greenshanks are 30-34 cm long and have a wingspan of up to 70 cm. They weigh around 280 g.

Habitat:

This species breeds in boreal forest, in swampy forest clearings, woody moorland, open bogs and marshes, and in eutrophic lakes with margins of dead and decaying vegetation. During wintering and migration they are found in a variety of freshwater, marine and artificial wetlands, including swamps, open muddy or rocky shores of lakes and large rivers, sewage farms, saltworks, inundated rice-fields, ponds, reservoirs, flooded grasslands, saltmarshes, sandy or muddy coastal flats, mangroves, estuaries, lagoons and pools on tidal reefs or exposed coral, although it generally avoids open coastlines.

Diet:

Greenshanks are carnivorous, eating insects and their larvae, crustaceans, annelids, molluscs, amphibians, small fishes like mullets Liza spp., clinids Clinus spp. and tilapias Oreochromis spp. Occasionally they also eat rodents.

Breeding:

These birds breed in May-July. The nest is a shallow scrape on open ground, where the female lays 4 yellowish-green eggs with speckles. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 24-25 days. The chicks are precocial and leave the nest within 24 h of hatching, but follow the parents until fledging, 25-31 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 440.000-1.500.000 individuals. The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends. In the Chinese, North Korean and South Korean regions of the Yellow Sea this species is threatened by the degradation and loss of its preferred wetland habitats through environmental pollution, reduced river flows and human disturbance. The same types of threats also occur in other parts of their range, but on a much smaller scale.

Spoon-billed sandpiper

Eurynorhynchus pygmeus

Photo by Jan van de Kam (Birds Korea)

Common name:

spoon-billed sandpiper (en); pilrito-colhereiro (pt); bécasseau spatule (fr); correlimos cuchareta (es); löffelstrandläufer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Charadriiformes

Family Scolopacidae

Range:

This rare species breeds only in northeastern Siberia, in the Chukchi Peninsula and southwards along the isthmus of the Kamchatka Peninsula. It migrates down the Pacific coast through Japan, Korea and China, to its main wintering grounds in south and south-east Asia, where it has been recorded in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

Size:

This small sandpiper is 14-16 cm long and has a wingspan of 22-24 cm.

Habitat:

The spoon-billed sandpiper inhabits a very specific breeding habitat, almost exclusively sea-coasts where there are sandy ridges sparsely vegetated by mosses, dwarf willows and grasses, interspersed with or neighbouring to salt marshes and brackish ponds. During winter it prefers mixed sandy tidal mudflats with uneven surface and very shallow water, mainly in the outermost parts of river deltas and outer islands, often with a high sand content and a thin mud layer on top. In same areas may also use saltpans.

Diet:

They use the bill to probe for small invertebrates. The chicks eat mainly small insects and seeds.

Breeding:

This monogamous bird nests in June–July. They nest on the ground, in areas never more than 6 km away from the sea. The clutch is composed of 4 brownish mottled eggs which are incubated for 19-23 days. The chicks are tended by both parents for another 2 weeks until fledging. In some cases the female leaves the family in the final few days before fledging.

Conservation:

IUCN status – CR (Critically Endangered)

With a population of just 450-1000 individuals, this species is in critical danger of extinction. The main threats to its survival are habitat loss on its breeding grounds and loss of tidal flats throughout its migratory and wintering range. An important staging area at Saemangeum, South Korea, has already been partially reclaimed, and the remaining wetlands are under serious threat of reclamation in the near future. Hunting is also a serious threat in some areas of south-east Asia.

Black-tailed godwit

Limosa limosa

Photo by Pedro Lourenço (Birds of the World)

Common name:
black-tailed godwit (en); maçarico-de-bico-direito (pt); barge à queue noir (fr); aguja colinegra (es); uferschnepfe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
Breeds in the northern temperate areas of the Paleartic. There are three geographicaly segregated subspecies: L. l. islandica breeds in Iceland, L. l. limosa breeds in northern Europe, from The Netherlands in the west to near Russia, and L. l. melanuroides breeds in southern Siberia. Wintering populations in western and south-western Europe, in West Africa and in southern Asia and Australia.

Size:
A medium-sized wader, the black-tailed godwit ranges 40-42 cm in lenght and has a wingspan of 70-82 cm. The females are larger and longer-billed than males. Males weigh up to 280 g, females weigh up to 340 g.

Habitat:
Traditionaly bred in wet pastures, marshes and bog. Currently breeds mostly in agricultural meadows. During winter the subspecies are segregated in terms of habitat. L. l. islandica and L. l. melanuroides are mostly present in salty habitats like estuarine mudflats, saltmarshes and saltpans, while L. l. limosa used mostly freshwater habitats including marshes, floodplains and rice fields.

Diet:
The diet varies depending on the habitat. In estuarine areas feeds mostly on macroinvertebrates, namely bivalves and polychaetes. In fresh water habitats feeds on diferent invertebrates, but also seeds and particularly rice grain when foraging on rice fields. On the breeding habitats feeds on earthworms and insects.

Breeding:
Starts breeding at 2 years old and forms stable couples that can last for several years. Usually lays 4 eggs in April-June. The eggs are incubated by both parents and hatch after 25 days. The chicks leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching and are immediately able to feed themselves, but rely on their parents for protection from extreme weather and predators until fledging, 3-4 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 630.000-800.000 individuals. Different populations have different trends, but overall the species is estimated to be have declined 25% in the last 2 decades, mostly due to habitat loss and degradation through agricultural intensification and wetland drainage. Hunting and water pollution are also significant threats.