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Spotted Redshank
(Tringa erythropus)
 German name(s): "Dunkelwasserläufer", "Dunkler Wasserläufer"
Size: 29-33 cm; wing span 61-67 cm
Weight: 120-205 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Spotted Redshanks are medium-sized waders. The two sexes
look alike. Their eclipse
plumage
is cryptic.
During the non-breeding
season they have an entirely white
front, from throat to undertail coverts, possibly with some
grey on the upper chest and the flanks.
The upperparts are light-grey, with dark spots and white
lining on the wing coverts. The tail is barred black and
white. The white supercilium is strong in front of the
eye, but weak behind the eye.
During the
breeding
season, they are almost all-black, with some silvery-grey
spots along the edges of the wing coverts and silvery-grey
barring along the flanks and the uppertail. The underwings
are mostly grey, with dark leading and trailing edges.
The eyes have dark irises. The dark-grey bill with its orange
base to the lower mandible is straight, with a subtle downward
kink at the tip, and about twice as long as the size of the head.
The long legs and feet are carrot-red to dark-red.
Juveniles
roughly resemble non-breeding
adults,
but with more brownish hues and uniform barring on the
underparts. The legs and feet are yellowish-orange.
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Twitcher's tip |
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The easiest distinction between a Spotted Redshank and a
Common Redshank
(in all plumages)
is by the length of the bill, the former having a longer bill
than the latter.
The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the
Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and
related families 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.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Spotted
Redshank at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of the Spotted Redshank is available
HERE
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The Spotted Redshank is a strongly migratory species.
Its breeding range extends from northern Europe to all of near-coastal
northern Asia, up to eastern Siberia.
The winter quarters are located in western Europe, the Mediterranean,
coastal north-western Africa, tropical Africa, Arabia and southern
Asia, including the Indian subcontinent.
During their migration they can be found almost anywhere between
breeding grounds and winter quarters.
In Europe Spotted Redshanks are breeding migrants in inland
northern Scandinavia and near-coastal north-western Russia.
Their winter quarters are located in southern Ireland and
Britain, and on the European continental coastal fringe
from the German Wattensee southward to Iberia and along
most of the Mediterranean coastline.
Anywhere else in between they may be seen during their migration.
Spotted Redshanks breed in swamps and bogs in open arctic taiga.
Over winter they are usually found in estuaries, especially with
mudflats, or other near-coastal wetlands, often with eutrophic
and/or brackish water.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports spotting Spotted
Redshanks on several occasions during the winter months in
estuaries in central Portugal.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this page
has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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NON-BREEDING |
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Near-lateral view of a Spotted Redshank in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]
Lateral view of a Spotted Redshank in non-breeding
plumage;
note the characteristic downward kink at the tip of the
relatively long bill
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]
Lateral view of a Spotted Redshank in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2019]
Lateral view of a Spotted Redshank in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2016]
Comparison of the head profiles of the two species of redshank in
non-breeding plumage:
Common Redshank
on the left; Spotted Redshank on the right
(photos courtesy of J. Pires)
Near-dorsal view of a Spotted Redshank in non-breeding
plumage
in flight; note the characteristic "cigar"-shaped white
patch on the back
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Palhais, Barreiro, Setubal, Portugal, March 2018]
Spotted Redshank in non-breeding
plumage,
front left, with various other waders
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, September 2018]
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
