Scientific Name: Tringa brevipes
Malay Name: Kedidi-Kacau Asia
Chinese Name: 灰尾漂鹬
Range: Breeds in northern Siberia, winters south through the Malay Peninsula, Phillippines, and coastal Indonesia and Australia.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 24-27 cm
Identification: A rather stockily-built sandpiper; in breeding plumage (which is sometimes retained until October or even later), shows grey upperparts, underparts white with wide, thin chevron-shaped markings across breast, flank and vent. In non-breeding plumage, white throat and brownish-grey wash over breast and upper belly; rest of underparts clean white. Differentiated from other similar species by combination of short yellow legs (compared to Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, and all other Tringa sandpipers except Nordmann's Greenshank, which have longer legs); short, blunt-tipped bill (compared to Terek Sandpiper and much rarer Nordmann's Greenshank, which have upturned bills).
Similar looking species: Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Nordmann's Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper
Habitat: Intertidal mudflats, mangroves, occasionally inland wetlands.
Behaviour/Ecology: Often associates with other waders — in the past, has been recorded with Common Redshanks at Sungei Buloh.
Local Status: Very rare migrant
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2016)
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Gray-tailed Tattler)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Tringa brevipes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693289A93394897.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., Kirwan, G. M., and Sharpe, C. J. (2020). Gray-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes), 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.gyttat1.01
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Singapore Birds Project. (n.d.). Grey-tailed Tattler. Retrieved on May 26, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/grey-tailed-tattler.