Sandpipers and Allies of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY SCOLOPACIDAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

• Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

• Birds (Class Aves)

• Shorebirds and Allies (Order Charadriiformes)​

• ​Sandpipers and Allies (Family Scolopacidae)

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Family Scolopacidae is a diverse family of shorebirds that includes sandpipers, snipes, dowitchers, godwits, curlews, yellowlegs, phalaropes, and related species. Found on every continent except Antarctica, these birds are most commonly associated with wetlands, mudflats, estuaries, beaches, marshes, tundra, and shallow freshwater habitats. Members of the family typically have long legs and slender bills adapted for probing mud, sand, or shallow water in search of insects, worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and other small invertebrates. Bill length and shape vary considerably among species, reflecting different feeding strategies and ecological niches.