Thursday 22 September 2022

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Tringa (bird named by Aristotle) melanoleuca ("black and white")

Molting adult Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) at Hayward, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 11-250g/kg  /  Length: 29-40cm  /  Wingspan: 60cm
NO UK STATUSIUCN Red List: Least Concern

Given it's relationship to the other tringa species, it's honestly somewhat frustrating to me that this bird isn't named the Greater Yellowshank because it would fit much more neatly in the naming scheme of Redshanks and Greenshanks.  Alas, it is not, and it's closest confusion species is anyway the lesser yellowlegs is found in much of the same range and with similar colouration, and mostly has to be separated by proportions and subtle markings differences.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Tringa
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, Winters along warmer Southern coasts, passage elsewhere
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Hayward and Berkeley 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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