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Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) — photo 1 of 3
© JJ Harrison CC BY 3.0

Sandpipers · Shorebirds

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Voice

Call

Philippe_Grange

0:03

Call

Sonothèque ADVL

0:12

Call

Jochem Verweij

How to recognize it

  • Large shank, slimmer than Common Greenshank

  • Breeding plumage black with white spots and fringes

  • Winter plumage very pale below, ash-grey above

  • Long red legs; slim bill slightly upturned at the tip

About the species

The Spotted Redshank is a large wader with a very slender, slightly downcurved bill and long red legs. In summer it looks strikingly dark with white spots and edges, while in winter it turns much paler.

It is wary and purposeful around shallow water. It usually feeds alone or in small groups, gives a quick two-syllable call when it takes off, and when alarmed switches to sharp repeated notes.

It breeds in Arctic tundra, forest-tundra, and boggy northern taiga, then moves to muddy shores, small wetlands, and marshy edges on passage and in winter. It feeds on small invertebrates, and also takes small fish and tadpoles; many populations winter far to the south.

Where to find

  • Along muddy pond edges, canal banks, and quiet backwaters — it feeds by wading belly-deep and dipping its bill into the shallows.

  • At small city lakes with sedge and thin reedbeds, look for quick head-bobbing and a sharp alarm call when it flushes.

  • On damp meadowy banks beside open channels and streams, it often forages alone or in small groups, probing the mud.

  • In winter, check grassy freshwater shores after windy weather — it may stand on the windward side, picking food from the incoming wavelets.

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Sources