Bird Guide

Marsh Sandpiper vs Spotted Redshank

Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Medium78 gWetland

The marsh sandpiper resembles a small elegant greenshank, with a long fine bill and very long yellowish legs. Like the greenshank, it is greyish brown in breeding plumage, paler in winter, and has a white wedge up its back that is visible in flight. However, it is more closely related to the common redshank and the wood sandpiper. Together, they form a group of smallish shanks which tend to have red or reddish legs, and in breeding plumage are generally a subdued, light brown above with some darker mottling, with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Stephen Matthews · CC0
Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Medium158 gGrassland

This is a large wader (shorebird), measuring 29–31 cm (11–12 in) long, with a wingspan of 61–67 cm (24–26 in) and a weight ranging from 121 to 205 g (4.3 to 7.2 oz). It is black in breeding plumage, and very pale in winter. It has a red legs and bill, and shows a white oval on the back in flight. Juveniles are grey-brown finely speckled white above, and have pale, finely barred underparts. Adults moult completely between July and October. In spring, the body plumage is moulted between March and May. Juveniles have a partial moult between August and February.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Philippe_Grange · CC0
Photo: Stephen Matthews · CC0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Marsh Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank.