Page 187 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Scolopacidae Species Tringa glareola
Wood Sandpiper small pale
spots on back

cream-spotted
no white on brown back
upperwings
pale stripe
over eye
white pale
rump underwings
ADULT
JUVENILE (SUMMER)
narrow bars (AUTUMN) white underside
on tail
IN FLIGHT streaked
long, yellow- breast
ochre legs
straight, dark-
tipped bill
ith a typically
WTringa sandpiper
form and bobbing action,
the Wood Sandpiper is,
however, a more elegant and JUVENILE
longer-legged bird than the Green (AUTUMN)
Sandpiper. It is noticeably less thickset than
the larger Redshank and Greenshank. It is basically a
freshwater bird, not seen on open sea shores, often
found in weedy pools or paddling about on floating FLIGHT: strong, quick, light, with flicking
vegetation. Many Wood Sandpipers pass through wingbeats; often rises high if disturbed.
eastern and southern Europe in spring, when they are
scarce migrants in western Europe. In autumn, they are
still relatively uncommon but more regular and
predictable in western Europe, especially in August.
Ones and twos then appear on sheltered muddy shores
of reservoirs or on lagoons near the coast, feeding in a
rather nervous, jumpy manner, easily disturbed and
ready to fly off at some height.
VOICE Distinctive quick, sharp chiff-iff-iff-iff.
NESTING Small, leaf-lined scrape on ground,
occasionally old nest in tree; 4 eggs; 1 brood; May–July. SHALLOW WATER WADER
FEEDING Steps delicately over vegetation, picking The Wood Sandpiper feeds beside muddy pools or on shallow floods,
up insects and small aquatic invertebrates. flying off quickly and noisily if disturbed.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Summer visitor, breeding in
REDSHANK N and NE Europe. Migrants
see p.187
widespread in south and west,
less mottled most on muddy pools, weedy
fringes of shallow lagoons, salt
chunkier and larger and
darker darker thicker pans, and often near coast, but
red legs bill not on estuarine mud.
GREEN SANDPIPER
blacker underwings; bright Seen in the UK
white rump; see p.186 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 19–21cm (7 1 ⁄2 –8 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 36–40cm (14–16in) Weight 50–90g (1 3 ⁄4 –3 1 ⁄4oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Declining
185