Page 429 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Family Scolopacidae Species Tringa flavipes Family Scolopacidae Species Tringa melanoleuca
Lesser Yellowlegs Greater Yellowlegs
This looks like a small,delicate,greyer,slender Redshank More Greenshank-like (see p.189) than the Lesser
or small Greenshank, and is also similar to the smaller, Yellowlegs, the Greater Yellowlegs is nevertheless not
rounder Wood Sandpiper (see pp.187,189,185).It has always easy to distinguish from the Lesser.The bill is
long,bright,pale yellow to orange-yellow legs and, in thicker, slightly paler-based, and faintly upturned, and,
flight, reveals plain wings and a square white rump.The in most birds, there are more obvious white spots on
bill is thin and straight (Greater Yellowlegs has a thicker the upperparts (which are browner than a summer
bill, faintly upturned). It often wades Greenshank’s or Lesser Yellowlegs’).The
quite deeply and so may be confused thin, straight bill square white rump differs from the
with Wilson’s Phalarope. “V”-shaped wedge on a Greenshank.
OCCURRENCE Regular but rare OCCURRENCE Very rare vagrant to
vagrant from North America to W Europe,from North America.
W Europe. VOICE Loud, often with
VOICE High, clear tew, three notes, with third note
sometimes repeated at lower pitch, tew-tew-
at same pitch. tew, but sometimes
very like Lesser.

yellow legs
square
JUVENILE JUVENILE white rump

Length 23–25cm (9–10in) Wingspan 45–50cm (18–20in) Length 30–35cm (12–14in) Wingspan 53–60cm (21–23 1 ⁄2in)

Family Scolopacidae Species Tringa solitaria Family Scolopacidae Species Actitis macularia
Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper
A small Tringa sandpiper, much like the Green Sand- Very like a Common Sandpiper (see p.184), the
piper (see p.186),this species is distinguished by its dark shorter-tailed Spotted Sandpiper is distinguished in
rump.It has a less obvious white face stripe but a bolder summer by a scattering of small or large black spots
white eye-ring than the Green Sandpiper,and is darker, underneath. In autumn or winter, adults are plainer,
duller, and shorter-legged than a Wood Sandpiper greyer, with brighter yellow legs and a sharper call.
(see p.185).Its long,tapered rear end is often bobbed up Juveniles are plainer, less spotted on the edges of the
and down,as with the Green Sandpiper and the smaller, longer wing feathers, but more contrastingly barred
browner Common Sandpiper (see p.184). on the wing coverts.
OCCURRENCE Rare vagrant to NW Europe, from OCCURRENCE Very rare visitor from North America,
North America. sometimes winters.
VOICE Rich tewit-weet. VOICE Sharp, thin peet or peet-weet.
bold white ADULT
eye-ring plain greyish
dark, dull (WINTER)
plumage upperparts
short tail
dark rump
ADULT

Length 18–21cm (7–8 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 35–39cm (14–15 1 ⁄2in) Length 18–20cm (7–8in) Wingspan 32–35cm (12 1 ⁄2 –14in)
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