Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropus
The Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) is a common sandpiper found in 122 countries, weighing about 158 g. The spotted redshank is a wader (shorebird) in the large bird family Scolopacidae.
About the Spotted Redshank
The spotted redshank is a wader (shorebird) in the large bird family Scolopacidae. It breeds across northern Scandinavia and the northern Palearctic and migrates south to the Mediterranean, the southern British Isles, France, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia for the winter. It is an occasional vagrant to Australia and North America.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Spotted Redshank sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Canada, Luxembourg, Australia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Rwanda, Guadeloupe, Turkmenistan, Burundi, Mali, Togo, Barbados, Indonesia, Singapore, Iceland.
When to see it
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, with peak activity in August. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Spotted Redshank?
- 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). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Spotted Redshank?
- The Spotted Redshank is a medium sized bird weighing about 158 g.
- Where can you see a Spotted Redshank?
- The Spotted Redshank occurs in 122 countries, including Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Norway and Spain.
- What does a Spotted Redshank sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Spotted Redshank on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Spotted Redshank?
- The Spotted Redshank is most easily confused with the Marsh Sandpiper, the Wandering Tattler and the Grey-tailed Tattler.
- Is the Spotted Redshank endangered?
- The Spotted Redshank is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Spotted Redshank for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.