Green Sandpiper

Scientific Name: Tringa ochropus
Malay Name: Kedidi-Hijau Erasia
Chinese Name: 白腰草鹬

Range:
Breeds across the Palearctic, from Scandinavia east to eastern Siberia; winters in western Europe, tropical Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, southern China, and southeast Asia.

Taxonomy:
Monotypic.

Size: 21-24 cm

Identification:
A medium-sized sandpiper with dark upperparts and contrasting clean white underparts. Most likely to be confused with Common Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper. Best told from Common Sandpiper by longer bill, significantly longer legs, and dark (rather than white) outer breast which forms a dark "strip" across the whole breast (while Common appears to show a "bib"). From Wood Sandpiper, told by noticeably darker upperparts with less pale spotting, much darker breast, and supercilium which does not extend behind the eye (or only faintly present behind the eye, at best).

Similar looking species: Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper

Habitat: Inland freshwater areas, such as canals and marshes; also intertidal areas on occasion.

Behaviour/Ecology: Typically associates with Wood Sandpipers in freshwater habitat, where it is normally difficult to tell apart from that species. Stance and feeding action closer to Wood than to Common Sandpiper.

Local Status: Very rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Past accepted records in our database:

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Green Sandpiper at Lim Chu Kang Lane 3. Photo credit: Francis Yap

Green Sandpiper at Lim Chu Kang Lane 3. Photo credit: Francis Yap

Green Sandpiper at Neo Tiew. Photo Credit: Paul Huang.