Thick-knees are large shorebirds with large eyes, massive bill, long legs and cryptic plumage. One species is a rare resident of remote offshore islands in Bornean Malaysia.

Stilts and Avocets are elegant black-and-white shorebirds with very long legs and fine bills. They are often found in shallow wetlands and use their specialized bills to search for prey in the water.

Sandpipers are the largest shorebird family in Malaysia and are subdivided into six subfamilies: Curlews & Whimbrels; Godwits & Dowitchers; Small Sandpipers & Turnstone; Woodcock & Snipes; Phalaropes; and Large Sandpipers. Characterised by a diversity of bill shapes and lengths and are generally associated with mud and other soft substrates.

Pratincoles are the only aerial-feeding shorebirds, catching flying insects on the wing, and have long, tern-like wings. One species breeds in Malaysia and two are rare or very rare vagrants.

Plovers are the second largest shorebird family in Malaysia, and are subdivided into three families: Lapwings; Large Plovers; and Small Plovers. All are visual feeders with short, thick bills and large eyes, and feed with a characteristic stop-start foraging action.

Painted-Snipes are colourful but secretive shorebirds typically found in marshy habitats. Polyandrous. Females are more colourful than males and initiate courtship. One species resident.

Oystercatchers are large black-and-white shorebirds with long, stout bills used for prying open bivalve shells. They are typically found along coastlines and mudflats, where they forage for various invertebrates. One species is a very rare vagrant to both Peninsular and Bornean Malaysia.

Jacanas are distinctive shorebirds known for their long toes and claws, which enable them to walk on floating vegetation. They are most often found in freshwater wetlands. Two species occur in Peninsular Malaysia; one in Bornean Malaysia. Both are migrants but also recent breeding colonists.

Buttonquails are atypical shorebirds which resemble quails and inhabit grasslands. Difficult to see on the ground due to skulking habits and cryptic colouration. Polyandrous. Females are more brightly coloured than males. Two species resident in Peninsular Malaysia; one a rare vagrant.