Sandpiper
This article is about the bird. For other uses, see Sandpiper (disambiguation). Sandpipers Temporal range: Early Oligocene to recent Dunlin ( Calidris alpina ) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Suborder: Scolopaci Family: Scolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815 Genera Actitis Arenaria Bartramia Calidris Coenocorypha Gallinago Limnodromus Limosa Lymnocryptes Numenius Phalaropus Prosobonia Scolopax Tringa Xenus Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae , of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow w