Marsh Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpiper

Scientific Name: Tringa stagnatilis

Malay Name: Kedidi Paya

Chinese Name: 泽鹬

Range: Breeds from eastern Europe to eastern Siberia and northeast China; winters in sub-Saharan Africa through the Indian Subcontinent and southeast Asia.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 22-25 cm

Identification: A medium-sized wader with a distinctive pencil-thin bill and long legs. Like Common Greenshank, lightly spotted (breeding plumage) or clean white (non-breeding plumage) below, with greyish-brown upperparts and yellow legs. Differs, however, from that species by its thin and straight (rather than slightly upturned) bill; overall, Marsh is smaller-bodied and more elegant.

Similar looking species: Common Greenshank

Habitat: Mudflats, sandflats, and brackish lagoons.

Behaviour/Ecology: Joins flocks of other waders; often found with Common Greenshanks. Normally wades in shallow water.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Numbers declining rapidly (from counts exceeding 500 in the '90s, to a maximum of 22 through 2020), although still more or less annual at Sungei Buloh at least in September and October, when species makes its fall passage through Singapore. Also recorded at Chek Jawa, Seletar Dam, and Mandai Mudflats.

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Featured reports: Mar 2022, Aug 2022, Sep 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2022, Feb 2023, Mar 2023, Aug 2023, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Nov 2023, Aug 2024, Sep 2024, Oct 2024

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak week Oct 01-Oct 07
Early date 15 Jul 2000
Late date 31 May 2006
This species is best looked for in September and early October, but first arrivals are as early as August. Often seen alongside the more numerous Common Greenshanks, from which it can be told by its pencil-thin, straight bill and longer legs.
Marsh Sandpiper at SBWR. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Marsh Sandpiper)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Tringa stagnatilis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693216A86691256.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. (2020). Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis), 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.marsan.01

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Marsh Sandpiper. Retrieved on December 15, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/marsh-sandpiper.

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