Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Genus · Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies Family · Sandpipers and Allies
Observation tips Difficulty: MODERATE
Best time
🕒 Any
Activity
☀️ Diurnal
Best months
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Observation habitat
FarmlandRiverScrub wastelandWater edges

Listen for the 'tew-it' call. In winter, they look much paler than Common Redshanks and lack broad white wing-bars.

Spotted Redshank

♂ Male · ♀ Female

Stats
Wingspan61–67 cm
Weight120–205 g
Length29–33 cm
Lifespan wild5–13 yrs
Size
XS
S
M
L
XL
Nesting
Nest typeScrape
Clutch size4 eggs
Incubation22–25 days
Breeding months
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Regional Status (Europe)
LC
Least Concern (Europe)
IUCN Red List
MigrationMigratory
Social BehaviourFlocking

Diet: Carnivore

🦀Crustaceans
🐟Fish
🐸Frogs
🦗Insects
🐚Mollusks

Habitat

🌊 Marine🌾 Marsh❄️ Tundra
✦ Fun Fact

Their jet-black breeding plumage is almost unique among European waders. It makes them a prize sighting for birdwatchers in late spring.

About

An elegant, long-legged wader that changes appearance dramatically. In winter, it is a pale silvery-grey bird of coastal lagoons. In the breeding season, it turns almost entirely soot-black with fine white spots. It is a passage migrant that moves between Arctic breeding grounds and Mediterranean wintering areas.

Behaviour

Spotted Redshanks often forage in deeper water than many other waders and may even swim. They probe the water with a rapid, rhythmic 'stitching' motion of their long, slender bill. Their flight call is a sharp two-note whistle: 'tew-it!'. The bill has a distinctive slight droop at the tip.

Similar species

Common Redshank
🐦
Common Redshank
Tringa totanus
Common Greenshank
🐦
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Black-tailed Godwit
🐦
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosa
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