Abstract: The karyotypes of species of Charadriiform birds were studied with colchicine-hypotonic-air drying technique from bone marrow cells.The results were given as follows:Charadriidae:Vanellus vanellus,2n=76;Charadrius dubius,2n=76;C.alexandrinus,2n=76;Pluvialis squatarola,2n=76;Scolopacidae:Tringa nebularia,2n=88;Arenaria interpres,2n=88;Gallinago gallinago,2n=88;G.stenura,2n=88;Scolopax rusticola,2n=88;Calidris alpinus,2n=88 We found that the 7 species of plovers had fewer and larger macrochromosomes than the 9 species of spipes.It was probable that the karyotypes of snipes were relatively specialized and were evolved from the karyotypes of plovers by aseries centric fissions of macrochromosomes.In Charadriiformes,the 2 species of Haematopodidac,1 specie of recurvirostridae and 1 specie of Burhinidae shared the same karyotvpe with plovers,and the 2 species of Jacanidae shared the same karyotype with shipes.The comparative studies of karyotypes showed that the Charadriiformes birds may have two different origins.It was very interesting that the data of DNAhybridizations from Shbley (1987) showed the same results.