Greater Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Also known as: Aunt Sarah
Aves
VULNERABLE

Stats

Lifespan
Up to 10 yrs
Size
Large
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Social
Flock
Biome
Freshwater wetland
Range
North America
Movement
Flight
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Speed
Status
Vulnerable

About

The Greater Yellowlegs is a tall, slender shorebird with long, bright yellow legs and a slightly upturned bill, often seen wading through shallow wetlands. It has a piercing three-note "tew-tew-tew" alarm call that has earned it the nickname "tattler" among birders.

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

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Scolopacidae
Genus
Tringa
Species
Tringa melanoleuca