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Dunlin
Dunlin is the smallest of the 9 waders here. At 51.9 g it is about 46% of Snipe, and about 6% of Curlew, the largest here.
| Average weight | 51.9 g |
|---|---|
| Wing length | 115.1 mm |
| Scientific name | Calidris alpina |
Data: AVONET, Tobias et al. (2022) Ecology Letters 25:581-597, doi:10.1111/ele.13898, CC BY 4.0. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes: Species averages rounded to one decimal place and shown to scale. Checked 2026-09-16.
Figures for this species: AVONET; Avibase ID 15369E8E; wing measured on 10 birds; mass from Dunning (2008), CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses.
How it sits against the others
| Wader | To scale | Average weight | Wing length | Scientific name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curlew | 803 g | 292.2 mm | Numenius arquata | |
| Oystercatcher | 526 g | 250.3 mm | Haematopus ostralegus | |
| Avocet | 304 g | 217.9 mm | Recurvirostra avosetta | |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 291.6 g | 210.1 mm | Limosa lapponica | |
| Lapwing | 218.4 g | 222.5 mm | Vanellus vanellus | |
| Turnstone | 136 g | 148.8 mm | Arenaria interpres | |
| Redshank | 129 g | 156.9 mm | Tringa totanus | |
| Snipe | 112.9 g | 127.9 mm | Gallinago gallinago | |
| Dunlin | 51.9 g | 115.1 mm | Calidris alpina |
Other waders
Back to the full wader size guide
Waders, Weighed
Nine common waders on one scale, by published species-average body mass.
The chart on this page, printed properly.