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This bird habitually bobs up and down, known as 'teetering'.

British Birds - Sandpipers and Godwits

Sandpipers and godwits are shorebirds that hunt for food with long bills and quick steps. Learn how to spot them by shape, plumage and behaviour around Britain’s coasts.

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Fascinating Fact:

Waders often gather in flocks on estuaries and mudflats because these habitats provide rich feeding at low tide and safe roosting at high tide.

In Specialist Nature, sandpipers and godwits are a brilliant group for learning bird ID. Compare overall size, bill length and curve, leg colour, and how they feed, some pick rapidly while others probe steadily. Many also change plumage through the year, so looking at patterns on the back, belly and face can help, especially alongside flight shape and calls.

Key Terms

Wader: A bird adapted for feeding in shallow water or wet ground, often with long legs and a bill shaped for probing or picking prey.
Plumage: The feathers of a bird, including their colour and pattern, which can differ between seasons, ages and sexes.
Migration stopover: A place where travelling birds pause to rest and refuel before continuing their journey.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How can I tell a sandpiper from a godwit?

Godwits are usually larger, with longer legs and a noticeably long bill that often looks slightly upturned. Many sandpipers are smaller and more compact, with shorter bills and quicker, more darting feeding movements, so size and bill shape are strong first clues.

What do sandpipers eat in the UK?

In the UK, sandpipers mainly eat small invertebrates such as worms, insect larvae, tiny crustaceans and small shellfish. They find food by picking from the surface or probing into wet sand, shallow water, and seaweed edges.

When can you see godwits in Britain?

Godwits can be seen in Britain at different times depending on the species and location. Black-tailed godwits are present year-round in some wetlands, while bar-tailed godwits are most often seen on coasts as migrants and winter visitors, with movement peaking in spring and autumn.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Tim Lenz

Curlew Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Bar-tailed Godwit

Green Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tryngites subruficollis
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Passage Migrant
Outside the breeding season, this bird is normally found on short-grass habitats such as airfields or golf-courses.
These birds pick up food by sight, mainly eating insects and other invertebrates.

2 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Purple Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Curlew Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Calidris maritima
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
The male takes the major responsibility for incubation and tends the chicks.
This species is tame and approachable.
Can be seen principally along the east and south coasts.

3 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Jason Girvan

Purple Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tringa stagnatilis
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Rare Vagrant
They prefer to winter on fresh water wetlands such as swamps and lakes and are usually seen singly or in small groups.
These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud.

4 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Black-tailed Godwit

Purple Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Limosa limosa
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor, Passage Migrant And Scarce Summer Breeding Species
Unpaired males defend a temporary territory and perform display flights to attract a mate.
Once eggs are laid, an area of 30-50 metres around the nest is defended.

5 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Sergey Yeliseev

Black-tailed Godwit

Common Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Actitis hypoleucos
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species And Passage Migrant
It habitually bobs up and down, known as 'teetering', and has a distinctive flight with stiff, bowed wings.
Its presence is often betrayed by its three-note call as it flies off.

6 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.marekszczepanek.pl/

Green Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tringa glareola
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Passage Migrant & Rare Localised Breeder In Far North
This bird is a medium-sized wading bird, with a fine straight bill, yellowish legs and a conspicuous long white stripe from the bill over the eye to the back of the neck.

7 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of J M Garg

Wood Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Green Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Tringa ochropus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
It frequently bobs up and down when standing.
Often appears nervous and will fly off with a low zig-zagging flight when disturbed.

8 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.marekszczepanek.pl/

Curlew Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Calidris ferruginea
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor And Passage Migrant
The male performs an aerial display during courtship.
The clutch of 3-4 eggs are laid in ground scrape in the tundra.
This wader is highly gregarious.

9 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Bar-tailed Godwit

Common Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Pectoral Sandpiper

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Calidris melanotos
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
It is a very long-distance migrant breeding in the boggy tundra of northeast Asia and North America.
On migration and in winter, this species is typically found in freshwater habitats.

10 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Wood Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Common Sandpiper

Bar-tailed Godwit

Group: Sandpipers and allies
Binomial: Limosa lapponica
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Status: Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
It breeds in the Arctic of Scandinavia and Siberia, and hundreds of thousands of them pass through the UK, on their way further south, or stop off here for the winter.