Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 11.4–13 in
29–33 cm - Wingspan
- 23.6 in
60 cm - Weight
- 3.9–8.3 oz
111–235 g
Other Names
- Grand chevalier à pattes jaunes (French)
- Patamarilla mayor (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Although the Greater Yellowlegs is common and widespread, its low densities and tendency to breed in inhospitable, mosquito-ridden muskegs make it one of the least-studied shorebirds on the continent.
Habitat
Marsh
Breeds in muskeg, wet bogs with small wooded islands, and forests (usually coniferous) with abundant clearings. Winters in wide variety of shallow fresh and saltwater habitats.
Food
Insects
Small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish, frogs, and occasionally seeds and berries.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Egg Description
- Gray to brown with dark markings.
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and able to walk. Leave nest in a few hours after hatching and feed themselves.
Nest Description
Shallow scrape or depression in moss or peat on ground, lined with dead leaves, lichens, grasses, and short, thin spruce twigs
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Probing
Wades in water and picks up prey it sees, sweeps bill side-to-side through water to catch prey by feel.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations appear stable.
Credits
- Elphick, C. S., and T. L. Tibbitts. 1998. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca). In The Birds of North America, No. 355 (A. Poole and F. Gill,eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.