scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. the majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. variation in length of legs and bills help many species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. there are 27 species which have been recorded in azerbaijan.