About the Wandering Tattler
The wandering tattler is a medium-sized shorebird, similar in appearance to the closely related gray-tailed tattler. The tattlers are unique among the species of Tringa for having unpatterned, greyish wings and backs, and a scaly breast pattern extending more or less onto the belly in breeding plumage, in which both also have a rather prominent supercilium.
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The wandering tattler was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Scolopax and coined the binomial name Scolopax incana. Gmelin based his description on the "ash-coloured snipe" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham's specimen had been supplied by the naturalist Joseph Banks.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Wandering Tattler lives
When to see the Wandering Tattler
Peak activity in September · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Grey-tailed TattlerTringa brevipesThe grey-tailed tattler is closely related to its North American counterpart, the wandering tattler (T. incana) and is difficult to distinguish from that species.
Nordmann's GreenshankTringa guttiferNordmann's greenshank is a medium-sized sandpiper, at 29–32 cm (11–13 in) long, with a slightly upturned, bicoloured bill, and relatively short yellow legs.
Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilisThe marsh sandpiper resembles a small elegant greenshank, with a long fine bill and very long yellowish legs.
Side by side: Spotted Redshank vs Wandering Tattler · Marsh Sandpiper vs Wandering Tattler · Jack Snipe vs Wandering Tattler
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