Home PageBirds of Devon and Cornwall Greenshanks  

Latin name - Tringa nebularia

The Common Greenshank is a medium-sized slim wader with a dark grey back and white underparts. It has long green legs and a slightly up-turned bill. The bill is dark to green-grey and there is a narrow white eye ring. They are rarely seen in groups but in twos or individually. In the summer their UK breeding area is confined to the north and west Scotland where 1500 pairs breed each year, some of these will winter in the UK and Ireland, others will migrate through the UK to African wintering grounds. They can be seen on their breeding grounds from April to August, on passage in April and May and between July and September, over wintering birds are seen from October to March. Over wintering birds are found on the estuaries of South-west England, Wales, West Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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