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 Ruaha National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Ruaha National Park
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
White-headed Lapwing
Vanellus albiceps
Water Thick-knee
Burhinus vermiculatus
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.