Sandpipers To Phalaropes
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. Different lengths of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 86 species worldwide, 37 in Southern Africa.
Shanks and tattlers (Genera: Xenus, Actitis, Tringa, Catoptrophus and Heteroscelus)
- Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
- Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus accidental
- Common Redshank Tringa totanus accidental
- Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
- Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca accidental
- Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes accidental
- Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
- Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
- Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus
- Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Calidrids and turnstones (Genera: Calidris, Aphriza, Eurynorhynchus, Limicola, Tryngites, Arenaria and Philomachus)
- Red Knot Calidris canutus
- Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris accidental
- Sanderling Calidris alba
- Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii accidental
- White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis accidental
- Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos accidental
- Dunlin Calidris alpina accidental
- Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis accidental
- Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus accidental
- Little Stint Calidris minuta
- Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis accidental
- Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii accidental
- Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta accidental
- Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
- Ruff Philomachus pugnax
Snipe and woodcocks (Genera: Coenocorypha, Lymnocryptes, Gallinago and Scolopax)
- Great Snipe Gallinago media accidental
- African Snipe Gallinago nigripennis
Godwits (Genus: Limosa)
- Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
- Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica accidental
- Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
Curlews (Genus: Numenius)
- Common Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
- Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
Phalaropes (Genus Phalaropus)
- Wilson's Phalarope Steganopus tricolor accidental
- Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
- Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicaria
Read more about this topic: List Of Southern African Birds