Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

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: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured reports: Jan 2023

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak weeks Jan 08-Jan 14, Jan 15-Jan 21
Early date 26 Sep 1963
Late date 06 Mar 2021
After two consecutive seasons with sporadic sightings at Lim Chu Kang Lane 3, this bird was not reported in the 2021-22 season, but was spotted again in the 2022-23 season. The area is now no longer accessible due to land redevelopment.
Green Sandpiper at Neo Tiew. Photo Credit: Paul Huang.
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 Lim Chu Kang Lane 3. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Green Sandpiper at Lim Chu Kang Lane 3. Photo credit: Adrian Silas Tay

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Green Sandpiper)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Tringa ochropus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693243A86680632.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., and Kirwan, G. M. (2020). Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnsan.01

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Green Sandpiper. Retrieved on June 18, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/green-sandpiper.

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