Bird Guide

Common Greenshank vs Willet

Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Medium187 gWetland

Common greenshanks are brown in breeding plumage, and grey-brown in winter. When in water, they can appear very similar to marsh sandpipers but are distinguished by the shape of the lower bill which gives it an upturned appearance to the bill. They have long greenish legs and a long bill with a grey base. They show a white wedge on the back in flight. They are somewhat larger than the related common redshank. The usual call is a rapid series of three short fluty notes syllabilized as teu-teu-teu. Like most waders, they feed on small invertebrates, but will also take small fish and amphibians.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Common Greenshank
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call, flight call, song · Cabane Vauban (near Carolles), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: blondinrikard · CC BY 2.0
Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

Willet

Tringa semipalmata

Medium246 gCoastal

The willet is a particularly elegant and heavily built shorebird with a structure similar to that of the common redshank but being larger in size than the greater yellowlegs while resembling a godwit in flight with black primary coverts and primaries contrasting with a broad white band, white secondaries with a white rump and gray tail band. With its reclassification into the Tringa genus, it stands as the largest species in this prominent sandpiper genus. It is 31–41 cm (12–16 in) in overall length and weighs 200–330 g (7.1–11.6 oz). Voice: The willet's name is onomatopoeic and refers to its loud piercing "pill-will-willet" territorial song., which is higher pitched and repeated at a faster rate in Eastern willets than in Western birds.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Willet
Recorded by Doug Hynes · Call · Big Glace Bay Lake National Wildlife Area, Nova Scotia, Canada · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Original photo by Mdf. Cropping and brightness adjustment by Pharaoh Hound at en.wikipedia · CC BY 2.5

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Common Greenshank and Willet.