Tringa nebularia
The Common Greenshank (*Tringa nebularia*) is an elegant, medium-sized Palearctic wader, instantly recognizable by its long, greenish-yellow legs and a distinctive, slightly upturned bill. Measuring approximately 30-35 cm in length with a wingspan of 60-70 cm and weighing 150-300g, this species exhibits refined greyish-brown upperparts plumage that becomes more streaked and mottled during the breeding season, contrasting sharply with its pristine white underparts. A key field mark, especially...
Common Greenshanks primarily inhabit a variety of freshwater, brackish, and saline wetlands, including tundra pools, marshes, estuaries, lagoons, and muddy coastlines, typically at low elevations.
Their diet primarily consists of small aquatic invertebrates, including crustaceans, worms, and insect larvae, supplemented by small fish and tadpoles, which they capture by probing and visual foraging in shallow waters.
Common Greenshanks are largely diurnal, actively foraging during the day and roosting communally in sheltered locations on open mudflats or sandy shores, often standing in shallow water, especially during high tide. Their foraging strategy is characterized by a deliberate, active walk through sha...
The Common Greenshank boasts an extensive breeding range across the northern Palearctic, stretching from northern Scotland and Fennoscandia eastward through northern Russia and Siberia to the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island. Isolated breeding populations also exist in parts of the Baltic ...
Least Concern
- The Common Greenshank undertakes one of the longest migratory journeys of any wader, with some individuals traveling over 10,000 km between breeding and wintering grounds. - Its distinctive greenish-yellow legs give it its "greenshank" name, a key field mark for identification. - Unlike many sh...