Stats

Lifespan

8-12 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Eurasia

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

A small, compact wader found along rivers, lakes, and coasts across Europe and Asia, recognised by its constant tail-bobbing habit. It nests on the ground near water and migrates as far as southern Africa and Australia in winter.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2. 2.
   hatchling

   A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Scolopacidae

Genus

Actitis

Species

Actitis hypoleucos