Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusTringa (Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies)
- SpeciesTringa stagnatilis (Marsh Sandpiper)
About the Marsh Sandpiper
The marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) is a small wader. It is a rather small shank, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe to the Russian Far East. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific stagnatilis is from Latin stagnum, "swamp".
The marsh sandpiper resembles a small elegant greenshank, with a long fine bill and very long yellowish legs. Like the greenshank, it is greyish brown in breeding plumage, paler in winter, and has a white wedge up its back that is visible in flight. However, it is more closely related to the common redshank and the wood sandpiper. Together, they form a group of smallish shanks which tend to have red or reddish legs, and in breeding plumage are generally a subdued, light brown above with some darker mottling, with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck. The length is 22–26 cm (8.7–10.2 in), wingspan is 55–59 cm (22–23 in) and weight is 45–120 g (1.6–4.2 oz).
The marsh sandpiper... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Marsh Sandpiper in Cape Range
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Cape Range
Grey-tailed Tattler
Tringa brevipes
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Red-necked Stint
Calidris ruficollis
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Little Curlew
Numenius minutus
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosa
Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.