Tringa flavipes
The Lesser Yellowlegs is an elegant and slender medium-sized shorebird, instantly recognizable by its conspicuously bright yellow legs, which give it its common name. Measuring 23-27 cm (9.1-10.6 inches) in length with a wingspan of 59-63 cm (23.2-24.8 inches) and weighing 66-85 grams (2.3-3.0 ounces), it sports a delicate build and a relatively short, straight, needle-thin black bill. Its plumage is subtly patterned, featuring plain grey-brown upperparts and a white underside, often finely s...
Primarily frequents shallow wetlands, marshes, bogs, and tundra pools during the breeding season, transitioning to coastal estuaries, mudflats, and flooded fields during migration and winter.
Feeds primarily on aquatic invertebrates such as insect larvae (e.g., mosquito larvae), small crustaceans, and occasionally tiny fish, foraging by pecking, sweeping, or foot-stirring in shallow water.
Lesser Yellowlegs are diurnal foragers, active throughout the day, often seen wading purposefully through shallow water. Their distinctive foraging technique involves a rapid, almost agitated pacing, frequently accompanied by foot-stirring or foot-paddling to flush out hidden prey, which they the...
The Lesser Yellowlegs boasts an extensive geographic distribution, breeding across the boreal forest and taiga wetlands of Alaska and Canada, extending from western Alaska eastward through the Canadian provinces to Newfoundland and Labrador. Following the breeding season, these strong migrants un...
Least Concern
- Lesser Yellowlegs are renowned for their extraordinarily long migratory journeys, traveling from their subarctic breeding grounds down to the southern tip of South America and back annually. - They are often confused with their larger cousin, the Greater Yellowlegs; a key distinction is the Les...