Nordmann's Greenshank

Tringa guttifer

Family: Sandpipers and Allies · Status: Vagrant · Size: 29–32 cm · Conservation: Endangered

Range

Breeds along the Sea of Okhotsk coast in eastern Russia, wintering mainly along the coasts of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sumatra.

Identification

Adult resembles Common Greenshank but has a stockier, more robust build with a larger head, thicker neck, and shorter yellowish-green legs. Bill thicker, deeper-based, and slightly upturned. Upperparts paler and more uniform than Common Greenshank; toes barely project beyond tail-tip in flight (Common Greenshank toes project significantly). White underwing coverts contrast the slightly darker flight feathers. Grey-tailed Tattler also has short yellow legs but is smaller with a blunt-tipped, straight bill.

Habitat

Mudflats and sandflats.

Behaviour

Relatively non-vocal for a Tringa; its distinctive harsh call separates it from Common Greenshank in mixed flocks.