Species
Greater yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
A tall, alert sandpiper on yellow legs whose ringing three-note call warns every bird on the marsh.
Photo Frank Schulenburg (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 29 to 33 cm long
- Weight
- About 110 to 235 g
- Habitat
- Marshes, mudflats, ponds and flooded fields
- Diet
- Small fish, insects, crustaceans and snails
- In Georgia
- A common migrant and winter visitor
- Voice
- A loud, ringing "tew-tew-tew"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Bright yellow legs; long, slightly upturned bill; grey, speckled back; white rump in flight
- Told apart from
- Lesser yellowlegs, which is smaller with a shorter, straight bill and softer call
- Told apart from
- Willet, which has grey legs and bold wing markings
- Where to look
- Marshes and ponds from the coast to inland farm ponds
Behaviour
Greater yellowlegs wade and chase small fish, often sweeping the bill side to side. They are wary and call loudly at the first sign of danger, alerting other birds.
Why they matter
These sandpipers breed in the bogs and muskeg of the boreal forest and winter across the southern United States. Their loud alarm calls serve every shorebird on a marsh as an early warning of hawks and people.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A scrape on a hummock in a boreal bog
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 23 days
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about 18 to 20 days
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Farm ponds, stormwater ponds and marshes all serve as stopovers.
Misconceptions
- Yellowlegs are ducks' young. They are sandpipers, adult at this size.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Wintering | Wintering | Migrants passing | Migrants passing | Last migrants | Nesting in the north | Adults returning | Migrants | Migrants | Migrants | Wintering | Wintering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 95 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizonain winter
- Arkansasin winter
- Californiain winter
- Coloradopassing through
- Connecticutpassing through
- Delawarein winter
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgiain winter
- Idahoin winter
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckypassing through
- Louisianain winter
- Mainepassing through
- Marylandin winter
- Massachusettspassing through
- Michiganpassing through
- Minnesotapassing through
- Mississippiin winter
- Missouripassing through
- Montanapassing through
- Nebraskapassing through
- Nevadain winter
- New Hampshirepassing through
- New Jerseyin winter
- New Mexicoin winter
- New Yorkpassing through
- North Carolinain winter
- North Dakotapassing through
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomain winter
- Oregonin winter
- Pennsylvaniapassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinain winter
- South Dakotapassing through
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texasin winter
- Utahin winter
- Vermontpassing through
- Virginiain winter
- Washingtonin winter
- West Virginiapassing through
- Wisconsinpassing through
- Wyomingpassing through
Canada
Mexico
- Aguascalientesin winter
- Baja Californiain winter
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Chihuahuain winter
- Coahuilain winter
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Tlaxcalapassing through
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
- Zacatecasin winter
If you found one
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