| Marsh Sandpiper | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific Classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Tringa stagnatalis |
The Marsh Sandpiper, Tringa stagnatalis, is a small wader. It is the smallest of the shanks, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe into central Asia.
It resembles a small elegant Greenshank, with a long fine bill and very long yellowish legs. Like that species, it is greyish brown in breeding plumage, paler in winter, and has a white wedge up its back in flight.
It migrate to Africa and southern Asia, particularly India. It is a regular wanderer to western Europe. 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.
Shorebirds by Hayman, Marchant and Prater, ISBN 0-7099-2034-2Further reading