Sandpipers and Allies
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae
The Scolopacidae are a large diverse family of small to medium sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 89 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in the Cook Islands.
- Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis
- Gray-tailed Tattler Heterosceles brevipes
- Wandering Tattler Heterosceles incanus
- Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Read more about this topic: List Of Birds Of The Cook Islands
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