English name: Common Greenshank 
Scientific name: Tringa nebularia
French name: Chevalier aboyeur

Size: 30-34 cm

Description

Subspecies: Monotypic

MALE
(breeding) Forehead, crown, nape and hindneck greyish white, heavily streaked dark brown. Upperparts greyish-brown. Underparts white, upper breast and flanks spotted and streaked dark brown. 
Bill long and slightly upturned, blackish, greyish green at base; eye brown; legs and feet pale olive-green. In fight, shows long white wedge on back. 
(non-breeding) as breeding adult, but crown, nape and hindneck greyish-brown, edged white; streaking below confined to sides of neck and breast.

FEMALE
As male.
 
JUVENILE
Juvenile as non-breeding adult, but upperparts dark brown.

Voice 
Medium or medium-high mellow tyu-tyu-tyu... or chew-chew-chew.

Similar species
The only large Tringa common in region; the similar looking Marsh Sandpiper T. stagnatilis is much smaller and rare. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica shares long straight
bill and white rump extending up back, but is larger, with longer bill, browner, less grey-and-white plumage and very different call.

General habits 
Uses a wide range of shallow water habitats, especially intertidal mudflats, estuaries and mangroves, but also saltpans, flooded areas of lakes, ponds, rivers and rice paddies.
Fairly gregarious, usually single or in small, loose groups.

Status and distribution
Annual migrant. Breeds across Eurasia in taiga and forest zones. Non-breeding grounds from S Europe, whole of sub-Saharan Africa and S Asia to Australia; 
not globally threatened.

Reference
Birds of Africa Volume VIII pp 419-420