Greater Yellowlegs
A species of Tringa Scientific name : Tringa melanoleuca Genus : Tringa
Greater Yellowlegs, A species of Tringa
Botanical name: Tringa melanoleuca
Genus: Tringa
Photo By Alan D. Wilson , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The greater Yellowlegs's bright-colored legs make this mid-sized shorebird easily identifiable. It also gives it the occasional common name of 'Greater Yellowlegs'. It is an active forager in shallow freshwater habitats. It is not uncommon to see it mixing with other types of shorebirds. It easily draws attention when potential threats are nearby by producing a loud, long song.
Size
36 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
4.8 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
3 - 4 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Number of Broods
23 days
Feeding Habits
Greater Yellowlegs primarily consumes aquatic invertebrates, but also feeds on small fish, frogs, and occasionally seeds and berries. Greater Yellowlegs hunts in shallow waters, capturing prey with rapid stabs at the surface.
Habitat
The greater Yellowlegs frequents a variety of wetland habitats throughout different seasons. This species requires environments such as open marshes, mudflats, ponds, and streams, especially during migration and winter. Preferring lower altitudes and temperate climates, greater Yellowlegs inhabit areas with fresh to brackish water and are commonly found in flooded agricultural fields like rice paddies. In breeding seasons, they are drawn to boreal landscapes with wet meadows and sedgelands peppered with small ponds and sparse vegetation, including gale and dwarf birch. Post-hatching, juveniles are led to shallow waters surrounded by grasses, sedges, and shrubs for development.
Nest Behavior
Greater Yellowlegs engages in ground nesting with a simple moss or peat depression. Egg-laying and parental care specifics remain undocumented for concise format adherence.
Nest Characteristics
Greater Yellowlegs's nest is a ground depression near coniferous trees, sometimes reused annually. It's lined with leaves, lichen, measures 6 inches across, with a cup depth of 1 inch.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
People often ask
Migration Overview
Their breeding habitat is bogs and marshes in the boreal forest region of Canada and Alaska. They nest on the ground, usually in well-hidden locations near water. The three to four eggs average 50 mm (2.0 in) in length and 33 mm (1.3 in) in breadth and weigh about 28 g (0.99 oz). The incubation period is 23 days. The young leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching and then leave the vicinity of the nest within two days. They migrate to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States, the Caribbean, and south to South America. They are very rare vagrants to western Europe. 
General Info
Sounds
Call
Recording location: Brazil
Call
Recording location: Chile
Behavior
Greater Yellowlegs exhibits a prominent high-stepping foraging technique in wetland habitats, moving with focused intent and occasionally rushing to capture prey. Often found alone, greater Yellowlegs displays moderate social interaction, forming loose, transient groups during migration without significant interaction, save for collective travel. Contrastingly, at night, greater Yellowlegs opts for densely packed roosts with various shorebird species. A notable unique behavior is the male’s intricate courtship involving a melodic, coasting dive to capture a female's attention, followed by an intricate ground display of circling and ritualistic wing-posturing prior to mating.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Shorebirds Family
Sandpipers Genus
Tringa Species
Greater Yellowlegs 
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