Grey-tailed Tattler

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: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2016)

Past accepted records in our database: (not a complete listing)

Past records, bar chart (see more bar charts):

Grey-tailed Tattler at SBWR. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

Grey-tailed Tattler at SBWR. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

Grey-tailed Tattler at SBWR. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

Grey-tailed Tattler at SBWR. Photo Credit: Francis Yap