Wood sandpipers (Tringa glareola) are medium waders in the family Scolopacidae.

Description

These birds are the smallest of the shanks, being most closely related to the common redshank and the marsh sandpiper. Their plumage is a brownish-grey with variable pale speckled patterning. The belly is white but gives way to a variably-speckled breast and neck. They have a strong white supercilium (eyebrow) and yellow legs. They show a white rump in flight.

Distribution and Ecology

They breed mainly in northern Europe and migrate south to Africa for the winter. Their breeding range extends throughout the Palearctic, and they also winter throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

They are usually found on freshwater during their wintering and migration. They feed by probing in shallow water. In Hong Kong, the bird appears mostly during the early autumn migration, with most leaving by late autumn to head further south.