Page 192 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Scolopacidae Species Tringa stagnatilis
Marsh Sandpiper pale line
very pale head over eye
and neck
greyish upperparts
with buff spots
long, dark wings
white “V”
on back straight,
fine dark
bill
JUVENILE extremely long white
(AUTUMN) greenish legs underparts
narrow, angled
wing shape

IN FLIGHT
grey-brown upperparts
with dark spots JUVENILE
(AUTUMN)
streaked
spotted chest
flanks
FLIGHT: quick, direct with quite fast wingbeats;
ADULT legs trail beyond tail.
(SUMMER)
ts long legs and very fine, straight bill make this a
Iparticularly delicate and elegant wader, almost a stilt
among the sandpipers. It is markedly smaller than
a Redshank but needs to be carefully distinguished,
when seen on its own, from a Greenshank, also a
rather refined-looking bird. It typically stalks daintily
around the edge of freshwater muddy pools. Marsh
Sandpipers are generally rare in western Europe,
although they may be seen regularly in a few areas
of southeast Europe.
VOICE Quick, sharp kyew or high kyu kyu kyu.
NESTING Scantily lined scrape in grassy bog and
marsh, or on open boggy clearing in northern forest;
4 eggs; 1 brood; May–July.
FEEDING Picks small insects and crustaceans from PALE LOOKS
mud or water surface. A browner bird in summer, with black spots above, the Marsh Sandpiper
ususally looks pale and rather colourless.
SIMILAR SPECIES
OCCURRENCE
WOOD SANDPIPER Breeds in N and extreme E Europe,
see p.185
in forest clearings. Migrates
through eastern Mediterranean,
rare farther west in late spring or
shorter larger thicker, autumn. Mostly in freshwater
bill upturned
more bill marshes and lagoons.
spotted
above GREENSHANK Seen in the UK
see p.189 JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 22–25cm (9–10in) Wingspan 50cm (20in) Weight 80–90g (2 7 ⁄8 –3 1 ⁄4oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Secure†
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