Tringa glareola
The Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) is an elegant, medium-sized wading bird, often described as a 'marsh-tundra' sandpiper, instantly recognizable by its sprightly demeanor and distinctive markings. Measuring 18-21 cm (7.1-8.3 in) in length with a wingspan of 39-44 cm (15-17 in) and weighing 50-80 g (1.8-2.8 oz), it features dark, mottled upperparts contrasting with pristine white underparts. Key field marks include prominent pale supercilium (eyebrow stripe), finely spotted back and wings, ...
Breeds in northern taiga and subarctic tundra, preferring bogs, marshy clearings, and shallow freshwater wetlands near forests; winters in diverse freshwater habitats including rice paddies, sewage ponds, and coastal lagoons in tropical regions, typically at low elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, including insect larvae, beetles, dipterans, small crustaceans, and mollusks, obtained by probing and pecking in shallow water or mud.
Wood Sandpipers are primarily diurnal, though they may forage at night during migration or on full moons. They are often observed singly or in small, loose groups, especially during migration, but can form larger flocks on wintering grounds. Foraging involves wading in shallow water, probing the ...
The Wood Sandpiper boasts an extensive breeding range across the northern Palearctic, stretching from Scandinavia through Finland, Russia, and Siberia to the Russian Far East. It primarily nests in the boreal and subarctic zones, inhabiting taiga wetlands, open bogs, and marshy clearings. During ...
Least Concern
- The scientific name 'Tringa' is the New Latin name given to sandpipers by Aldrovandus in 1599, and 'glareola' means 'gravelly' or 'marshy ground', referring to its preferred habitat. - Wood Sandpipers are among the longest-distance migrants of all shorebirds, traveling from the Arctic Circle to...