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Greenshank

Greenshank
'
: Animalia
:Chordata
: Aves
: Charadriiformes
: Scolopacidae
: Tringa
:nebularia
Binomial name
Tringa nebularia
(Gunnerus, 1767)

The Greenshank, Tringa nebularia, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. This is an subarctic bird, breeding from northern Scotland eastwards across northern Europe and Asia. It is a migratory species, wintering in Africa, south Asia, and Australasia, usually on fresh water. It breeds on dry ground near marshy areas, laying about four eggs in a ground scrape.

Greenshanks are brown in breeding plumage, and grey-brown in winter. They have long greenish legs and a long bill with a grey base. They show a white wedge on the back in flight. They are somewhat larger than the related Common Redshank. The alarm call is a loud trisyllabic whistle

Like most waders, they feed on small invertebrates, but will also take small fish.



07-14-2008 23:18:10
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