Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusTringa (Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies)
- SpeciesTringa glareola (Wood Sandpiper)
About the Wood Sandpiper
The wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola) is a small wader belonging to the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. A Eurasian species, it is the smallest of the shanks, a genus of mid-sized, long-legged waders that largely inhabit freshwater and wetland environments, as opposed to the maritime or coastal habitats of other, similar species.
The wood sandpiper was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Tringa glareola. Linnaeus cited his own Fauna Svecica that had been published in 1746. He specified the type locality as Europe but it is now restricted to Sweden. The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name, Tringa, is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) in 1599 by Aldrovandus, based on the Ancient Greek trungas, a "thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing" wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific glareola is from the Latin glarea, meaning "gravel".
The wood sandpiper resembles a longer-legged, more delicate form of the aforementioned green sandpiper (T. ochropus), or a solitary sandpiper... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Wood Sandpiper in Kakadu National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kakadu National Park
Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
Little Curlew
Numenius minutus
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosa
Far Eastern Curlew
Numenius madagascariensis
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Comb-crested Jacana
Irediparra gallinacea
Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Wood Sandpiper in Kakadu National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Sandpiper sighting in Kakadu National Park, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Wood Sandpiper in Kakadu National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Wood Sandpiper in Kakadu National Park in our monthly data.