Sandpipers: Scolopacidae

Two species of sandpipers are known to have gone extinct since 1600 C.E. These are the white-winged sandpiper of Tahiti and Ellis's sandpiper of Moorea. Both were probably driven to extinction by rats brought to their island habitats by humans. Of the eighty-six sandpiper species currently in existence, two are Critically Endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction, including the Eskimo curlew, which has not been seen since the 1980s, and the slender-billed curlew. Both species were hunted in large numbers by humans and also suffer from habitat loss. The Nordmann's greenshank is Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, due to hunting and habitat loss. The tuamotu sandpiper is Endangered because of habitat loss and human-introduced predators. The Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction, species in the family include the spoon-billed sandpiper, bristle-thighed curlew, wood snipe, Chatham snipe, Amami woodcock, and Moluccan woodcock. These species are affected by factors such as hunting, habitat destruction and disturbance, and predators introduced by humans.