Abstract: The karyotypes of 14 species of Charadriiform birds were studied from bone marrow cells with colchicine-hypotonic air drying technique.The results were given as folloes.The variation of diploid numbers of Charadriiform birds were in a large range:from B.oedicnemus,2n=40 to G.gallinage,2n=98.The differentiation would be caused by two chromosome rearrangements:in Charadriidae a series centric fusions of microchromosomes caused decreasing of dipolid numbers,and in Scolopacidae a series centric fissions of macrochromosomes caused increasing of diploid numbers.