Lesser Yellowlegs
A species of Tringa Scientific name : Tringa flavipes Genus : Tringa
Lesser Yellowlegs, A species of Tringa
Botanical name: Tringa flavipes
Genus: Tringa
Photo By Dario Sanches , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
Often referred to as a dainty marsh piper, the lesser Yellowlegs is easy to spot with its bright yellow legs. It is commonly found in marshlands, wetlands, and flooded fields. The bird was on the Yellow Watch List but a decrease in hunting for their bright-colored feathers has allowed the population to increase.
Size
25-28 cm (10-11 in)
Colors
Brown
Bronze
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
5 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
4 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Number of Broods
22 - 29 days
Nestling Period
1 - 2 days
Feeding Habits
Lesser Yellowlegs forages in shallow waters, prodding and stirring the substrate to capture prey. Its diet includes insects, small fish, and crustaceans, adapting seasonally to available food sources.
Habitat
Lesser Yellowlegs is typically found in a variety of wetland habitats, encompassing marshes, mudflats, and the shores of ponds and lakes. In the summer breeding season, lesser Yellowlegs favors open boreal forests with an affinity for watery landscapes. While residing in coastal areas, lesser Yellowlegs adapts to both freshwater and saline environments including beaches, bayshores, and coastal marshes. Regardless of the locality, lesser Yellowlegs consistently selects regions with ample foraging options, often at low altitudes with a temperate to subarctic climate, featuring sparse to moderate vegetation.
Nest Behavior
Lesser Yellowlegs's nesting behavior involves the male initiating the nest by scraping a depression into the ground where the female then assists by adding and arranging surrounding vegetation. The meticulous construction of the nest occurs during the breeding season, with both parents participating in building and lining the nest. Their eggs are laid within this scrape and both parents are involved in the incubation and rearing of the young.
Nest Characteristics
Lesser Yellowlegs typically nest in close proximity to water bodies such as pond edges and seasonal wetlands, or slightly elevated areas near water within native grasslands. In certain regions, their nests can be found at the base of sagebrush or amidst various grasses including cordgrass, saltgrass, beachgrass, and sometimes on bare ground sheltered by dunes. The nest is a small depression approximately 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep, lined with grasses and sometimes pebbles for camouflage and insulation.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
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Migration Overview
They migrate to the Gulf coast of the United States, the Caribbean, and south to South America. This species is a regular vagrant to western Europe; in Great Britain about five birds arrive each year, mostly between August and October, with the occasional individual overwintering. 
General Info
Sounds
Song
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: Venezuela
Behavior
Lesser Yellowlegs exhibits a dynamic interaction with its environment, reflecting a highly adapted lifestyle. As waders, lesser Yellowlegs primarily feeds on invertebrates, including worms, snails, and insects, using its adept bill for surface capture and probing in various habitats such as shorelines and mudflats. Notably active both day and night, these birds display territorial behavior, particularly during breeding season. Males assertively guard their territory with characteristic vocalizations and behaviors, potentially escalating to physical confrontations. Both parents are involved in incubation and rearing, with the female commonly departing before the male, ensuring continued chick development. Unique to lesser Yellowlegs is their persistent partnership consistency, as pairs often bond for multiple seasons and exhibit site fidelity, returning to the same nesting locations annually.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Shorebirds Family
Sandpipers Genus
Tringa Species
Lesser Yellowlegs 
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