Coastal Birds in South Carolina - Shorebirds
![](../images/shorebird.jpg)
Dunlins, Red Knots, Sanderlings, Marbled Godwits, and Ruddy Turnstones
feeding in the surf. Kaitlyn Hackathorn/SCDNR.
Shorebirds appear in many sizes and shapes with bills and legs that vary in length depending on how the shorebird feeds. In coastal South Carolina, shorebirds occur on shorelines, islands, marsh edges, inlets, mudflats, on mounds of washed oyster shells and in managed wetland impoundments. Three species of shorebirds nest on South Carolina beaches, while many other species migrate through or spend the winter on our coast.
Shorebirds are some of the world's most amazing migrants. Many species nest in the arctic and sub-arctic zones of the globe and spend the winter in the Southern Hemisphere. During their travels, they stop in large groups to rest and fuel themselves to sustain their migration. South Carolina provides both migration stop over sites for flocks of thousands of these birds and also wintering grounds for birds that do not travel as far south. To help understand shorebird populations, SCDNR conducts surveys of shorebirds throughout the year.
Migratory and/or Nesting Shorebirds of South Carolina
Common Name | Scientific Name | Conservation Status * | Season |
---|---|---|---|
American golden plover | Pluvialis dominica | Highest Priority | Migratory |
American oystercatcher | Haematopus palliatus | Highest Priority | Nesting/Migratory |
American avocet | Recurvirostra americana | High Priority | Migratory |
Baird's sandpiper | Calidris bairdii | Moderate Priority | Migratory |
Black-bellied plover | Pluvialis squatarola | High Priority | Migratory |
Black-necked stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | Not Classified in SWAP | Nesting |
Buff-breasted sandpiper | Calidris subruficollis | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Dunlin | Calidris alpina | High Priority | Migratory |
Greater yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | High Priority | Migratory |
Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | Not Classified in SWAP | Nesting/Migratory |
Least sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | High Priority | Migratory |
Lesser yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | High Priority | Migratory |
Long-billed curlew | Numenius americanus | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Long-billed dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | Moderate Priority | Migratory |
Marbled godwit | Limosa fedoa | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Pectoral sandpiper | Calidris melanotos | Moderate Priority | Migratory |
Piping plover | Charadrius melodus | Highest Priority, Federally Endangered | Migratory |
Purple sandpiper | Calidris maritima | High Priority | Migratory |
Red knot | Calidris canutus | Highest Priority, Federally Endangered | Migratory |
Ruddy turnstone | Arenaria interpres | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Sanderling | Calidris alba | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Semipalmated plover | Charadrius semipalmatus | Moderate Priority | Migratory |
Semipalmated sandpiper | Calidris pusilla | High Priority | Migratory |
Short-billed dowitcher | Limnodromous griseus | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Solitary sandpiper | Tringa solitaria | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Spotted sandpiper | Actitis macularius | Moderate Priority | Migratory |
Stilt sandpiper | Calidris himantopus | High Priority | Migratory |
Upland sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Western sandpiper | Calidris mauri | Highest Priority | Migratory |
Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | Highest Priority | Migratory |
White-rumped sandpiper | Calidris fuscicollis | Moderate Priority | Migratory |
Willet | Tringa semipalmata | High Priority | Nesting/Migratory |
Wilson's plover | Charadrius wilsonia | Highest Priority, State Threatened | Nesting/Migratory |
* Conservation Status from SC State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) 2015