Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae Genus: Tringa Species: glareola
Binomial name
Tringa glareola

The Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola, is a small wader. It is the smallest of the shanks, and breeds in subarctic wetlands from the Scottish Highlands across Europe and Asia. It will nest on the ground, or reuse the old tree nest of another bird, such as the Fieldfare.

It resembles a longer-legged, elegant Green, or Solitary Sandpiper with a short fine bill, brown back and longer yellowish legs. It differs from the first of those species in that the white rump patch is smaller and less contrasting, and Solitary lacks a white rump anyway.

They migrate to Africa and southern Asia, particularly India. This bird is usually found on fresh water during migration and wintering.

These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, and similar small prey.

Further reading

Shorebirds by Hayman, Marchant and Prater, ISBN 0-7099-2034-2