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Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) Alternate name(s): "Greenshank" German name(s): "Grünschenkel" Size: 30-35 cm; wing span 68-70 cm Body mass: 140-290 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.20/0.42 (lean/fat)

Europe: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Ruddy Turnstone Common Snipe Eurasian Woodcock Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Eurasian Curlew Whimbrel Little Curlew Sanderling Temminck's Stint Little Stint Dunlin Purple Sandpiper Marsh Sandpiper Common Greenshank Common Redshank Spotted Redshank Lesser Yellowlegs Wood Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Green Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Ruff Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Common Greenshanks are medium-sized waders. Their plumage is cryptic. During the non-breeding season they have an almost entirely white front, from throat to undertail coverts, with only some fine grey streaking on throat and chest. The back and rump are also white. The cap, sides of the head and neck are white with grey streaking, while the eyes are surrounded by thin white eye-rings. The scapulars are dark-grey with white edge lining. The wings are dark-grey, with whitish edge-lining and a brownish tinge. In-flight they show no wing bar, but a prominent white back and rump and the feet protrude clearly beyond the tail. During the breeding season, the head, neck and chest turn blackish-brown with light streaking. The wings turn almost entirely brown, with some white spots. The eyes have dark irises. The olive-grey bill is slightly upcurved, has a black tip and is longer than the size of the head. The long legs and feet are olive-grey. Juveniles roughly resemble non-breeding adults, but they have a very crisp pattern of dark grey-brown wing feathers with prominent white edge-lining and rather pointed scapulars, giving them a tidier general appearance. The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis etc. or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE.

Taxonomy, classification See Common Greenshank at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Common Greenshank is available HERE . Common Greenshanks are a migratory species. They breed on dry ground near marshy areas in subarctic regions from northern Scotland in the West, via northern Europe into large parts of Asia. They are also found in most parts of the rest of Europe, including the Mediterranean, in Asia Minor, around Arabia and along the southern coastlines of most of Asia. They spend the northern winters in Africa (including Madagascar), the Indian subcontinent (including Sri Lanka), South-east Asia, parts of Oceania and Australia, usually around fresh water. In Europe Common Greenshanks can be found almost anywhere. They are migratory, with breeding grounds in northern Scotland, Scandinavia and north-eastern Europe. Along parts of the coastlines of the British Isles, along the French and Iberian Atlantic coastline and partsf of the Mediterranean coastline they can be found as winter visitors. Anywhere else they may be seen during their migration. Common Greenshanks can be found in open swamps around freshwater, but also in estuaries and in coastal areas.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports spotting Common Greenshanks in and around the estuaries of the Tejo and Sado rivers in central Portugal semi-regularly, mostly during the non-breeding or migrating season, but also at least once in summertime. D. Wilczynska reports finding a Common Greenshank along the river Bug, near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, in July/August 2019. A. Sarok spotted a Common Greenshank in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. Other photos shown here were taken by M. Eaton in their winter quarters in Egypt. Common Greenshanks were seen by us in Australia and in Oman.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Frontal view of a Common Greenshank in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, April 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Common Greenshank moulting out of breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, August 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank moulting in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank moulting out of breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, August 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank moulting out of breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Malkinia, Masovia, Poland, August 2019]

Lateral view of two Common Greenshanks moulting out of breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal Castro Marim, Vila Real Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Alhos Vedros, Moita, Setubal, Portugal, January 2020]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Setubal, Portugal, April 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Common Greenshank moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Setubal, Portugal, April 2019]

Distant lateral view of a Common Greenshank moulting out of breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2015]

NON-BREEDING

Near-frontal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria Formosa, Quinta de Marim, Olhao, Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria Formosa, Quinta de Marim, Olhao, Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Morraceira island, Figueira da Foz, Mondego estuary, Portugal, January 2022]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alhos Vedros, Tejo estuary, Portugal, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Montijo, Setubal, Portugal, January 2020]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alhos Vedros, Tejo estuary, Portugal, September 2019]

Lateral view of two Common Greenshanks in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas da Fuseta, Fuseta, Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal Castro Marim, Vila Real Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage; note the characteristic black spots along the white edge lining of the wing coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[October 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2021]

Dorsal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alcochete, Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]

Dorsal view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage; click on image to see it roosting together with Curlew Sandpipers and Common Redshanks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage right after take-off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Marinha do Grelha, Ria Formosa, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Lateral view of two Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage in flight; click on image to see it together with Curlew Sandpipers and Common Redshanks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, in March 2019]

Lateral view of a Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage in flight; click on image to see it together with Curlew Sandpipers and Common Redshanks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, in March 2019]

Near-dorsal view of two Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2019]

Additional information

More photos have been obtained by us in Australia and in Oman.

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary

Food, Diet

Common Greenshank in non-breeding plumage with its prey (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Palhais, Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, March 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

grnshnk_dw_20190819.m4a	(Poland)	Contact call (arrival)	© DW
grnshnk_dw_20200726_3.m4a	(Poland)	Contact calls	© DW
grnshnk_jp_20201016.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
grnshnk_jp_20220115.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© JP
grnshnk_dw_20200726_2.m4a	(Poland)	Contact calls Q&A (+ Wood Sandpiper)	© DW
grnshnk_jp_20200722.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls (+ Common Ringed Plover)	© JP
grnshnk_dw_20190819_3.m4a	(Poland)	Warning calls (humans on the water)	© DW
grnshnk_20240221.m4a	(Australia)	Warning calls (human) (+ Pied Stilt)	© MD
grnshnk_20240221_2.m4a	(Australia)	Warning calls (human) (+ White-winged Fairy-wren)	© MD
grnshnk_dw_20180818.m4a	(Poland)	?	© DW
grnshnk_jp_20230502.mp3	(Portugal)	Various (+ Common Redshank)	© JP

More Common Greenshank sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.