Facts...
Greenshank facts: What do they look like? How long do they live? These questions and more are answered in this section.
| Latin name | Tringa nebularia. |
|---|---|
| Length | 30-35cm long. |
| Weight | 155-280g (birds weighed in autumn in Langstone Harbour. Juveniles average less than adults). |
| Colour | Grey-brown plumage on back and upper wings with white fringes giving a scaly appearance. The head and neck are finely patterned with white and grey-green streaks. The under parts are almost entirely white. One of the key identification features is the white rump extending up the back and mantle, seen as a white V separating the wings in flight. No wing bar. Barred tail. |
| Legs | Long grey-green legs. |
| Bill | Slightly upturned. Range in size from 48-63mm, average 55mm (Farlington Ringing Group data). |
| Wingspan | 68-70cm. |
| Number of eggs | 4. |
| Incubation period | 23-26 days. |
| Fledging | 25-31 days. |
| Maximum lifespan | The record holder is a Dutch ringed bird at 24 years and 5 months. |
| Call | "tew-tew-tew" or a snapping "krieup-krieup" in distress. Audio example of the Greenshank call. (Requires Flash plugin) Recordings courtesy of the British Library Sound Archive |
| Song |
Audio example of the Greenshank song. (Requires Flash plugin) Recordings courtesy of the British Library Sound Archive |
| Watch Video |
Film of Greenshanks in Chichester Harbour including colour-ringed and radio-tagged birds. |
| International names | "Groenpootruiter" in Dutch, "Grunschenkel" in German, "Hvidklire" in Danish, "Chevalier aboyeur" in French. |
| UK breeding population | |
| UK wintering population | |
| UK passage population |
Please Note: The above audio clips in "Call" and "Song" require Macromedia Flash player , .