Tringa brevipes
The Grey-tailed Tattler, *Tringa brevipes*, is a medium-sized, elegant shorebird, measuring 24-27 cm (9.4-10.6 in) in length with a wingspan of 55-60 cm (21.7-23.6 in) and weighing 80-170g. Its most distinctive field mark is its uniform plain grey upperparts contrasting with a white belly, accentuated by a prominent white supercilium above the eye. In breeding plumage, it develops fine, neat barring across its breast and flanks, distinguishing it from its close relative, the Wandering Tattler...
This species primarily inhabits rocky intertidal coastlines, coral reefs, and estuaries during non-breeding seasons, and transitions to open, sparsely vegetated tundra wetlands and gravelly riverbeds for breeding.
The Grey-tailed Tattler primarily feeds on small marine invertebrates such as crustaceans (crabs, amphipods), mollusks, marine worms, and insects, employing a probing and snatching foraging method.
Grey-tailed Tattlers are diurnal, becoming particularly active during low tides when foraging opportunities are optimal, often roosting communally on rocky outcrops or sandy spits during high tide. Their foraging strategy involves a rapid 'run-stop-probe' method, deftly snatching small invertebra...
The Grey-tailed Tattler breeds exclusively in the remote Arctic tundra of north-central and northeastern Siberia, extending from the Verkhoyansk Range eastward across Chukotka and Kamchatka, with occasional breeding suspected in western Alaska, particularly St. Lawrence Island. Following the bree...
Least Concern
- The Grey-tailed Tattler undertakes one of the longest migrations of any shorebird, traveling thousands of kilometers between its Siberian breeding grounds and Australasian wintering areas. - Its name 'tattler' refers to its distinctive, often repeated call, which is less complex and typically t...