Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
78 g
About This Species
Look for a slim, long-legged wader picking its way through shallow freshwater marshes, flooded grassland and the edges of lakes across its Eurasian breeding range and wintering grounds in Africa, South Asia and Australia. It feeds with a distinctive high-stepping gait, sweeping its fine bill side to side through shallow water for insects and small aquatic animals. It is best seen on passage in spring and autumn or on wintering wetlands, often in the company of other shorebirds.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep to the margins of wetlands and view with binoculars or a scope rather than walking out onto mudflats, since disturbing feeding or roosting flocks forces birds to expend energy needed for migration.
- Legal protections vary enormously across its vast range, spanning national laws in Russia and Central Asia through to countries across Africa, South Asia and Australia, so no single rule can be assumed to apply everywhere.
- The general principle of giving shorebird flocks generous space and avoiding sudden movements applies regardless of country.
LCAvesCharadriiformesScolopacidae
Seasonal Activity
304,652 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 78 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.