Common greenshank

The common greenshank is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific nebularia is from Latin nebula "mist". Like the Norwegian Skoddefoll, this refers to the greenshank's damp marshy habitat.

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Distribution

Region

Palearctic (breeding) to Afro‑Australasia (wintering)

Typical Environment

Breeds across northern Europe into Siberia in taiga wetlands, boggy clearings, and lake margins. Outside the breeding season it occupies tidal mudflats, estuaries, saltmarshes, mangroves, river mouths, and coastal lagoons. Inland it uses reservoirs, rice paddies, fish ponds, and flooded fields. It favors shallow waters with open sightlines and gently sloping shores for foraging.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1500 m

Climate Zone

Temperate

Characteristics

Size30–35 cm

Wing Span60–70 cm

Male Weight0.2 kg

Female Weight0.24 kg

Life Expectancy12 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A large Tringa sandpiper with long greenish legs and a slightly upcurved bill, the common greenshank is a familiar wader across the Old World. Its ringing three-note call carries far, often given in flight over estuaries and marshes. It frequently uses a foot-trembling technique to flush prey in shallow water.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

wary and alert

Flight Pattern

strong flier with swift, purposeful wingbeats; often calls in flight

Social Behavior

Usually solitary or in small groups when feeding, but forms larger loose flocks at high-tide roosts and on migration. Breeding pairs are mostly monogamous, nesting on the ground among heather, moss, or sparse woodland near water. Both sexes incubate and tend the young.

Migratory Pattern

Seasonal migrant

Song Description

Primarily a series of clear, ringing notes, most often a three-note 'teu-teu-teu' given in flight. Alarm calls are sharp and insistent; display flights include repetitive ringing calls rather than a complex song.

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Identification

Leg Colorgreenish

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Grey-brown upperparts and clean white underparts, more streaked and mottled in breeding plumage and plainer grey in winter. White rump with a white wedge extending up the back visible in flight.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Takes small fish, aquatic insects and larvae, crustaceans, worms, and molluscs. Forages by picking from the surface, probing soft substrates, and sweeping the bill side-to-side in shallow water. Often uses foot-trembling to disturb prey and may chase small fish in brief dashes.

Preferred Environment

Shallow edges of estuaries, tidal flats, and coastal lagoons; also freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and flooded fields. Frequently feeds along gently sloping shores and in brackish creeks and mangroves.

Population

Total Known PopulationStable population of 700,000–1,300,000 individuals

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