Common Redshank

Adults in breeding plumage are brown-grey above with dark spotting, and heavily streaked or spotted breast and flanks. In non-breeding plumage, they are drabber, greyer above, and whiter below. Juveniles are similar to breeding adults but with buff fringes on the upperpart feathers. Sexes are visually similar.

Bright orange-red legs, red-based bill with a dark tip, white trailing edge on the wings in flight, and a white wedge running up the lower back.

Length: 24-27 cm, Wingspan: 47-53 cm, Weight: 85-155 g

A loud, musical, and far-carrying piping whistle, often rendered as 'tew-hu-hu' or a rapid series of piping notes when agitated.

Insects, crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and small fish; forages by probing mud or pecking at the surface in shallow water.

Wetlands, damp grasslands, marshes, river valleys, estuaries, and mudflats.

Partial migrant. Northern populations are fully migratory, moving south for the winter, while western European populations are largely resident.

Nests on the ground in a scraped depression hidden amongst dense grass or vegetation. Clutch size is typically 4 eggs. Both parents incubate and care for the precocial chicks.

Spotted Redshank (larger, longer bill, darker in breeding plumage) and Marsh Sandpiper (much smaller with a finer, needle-like bill).

Acts as an important predator of benthic invertebrates in coastal and wetland ecosystems, helping regulate prey populations and participating in nutrient cycling.

Least Concern, with a generally stable global population trend, though localized declines occur due to agricultural intensification and wetland drainage.

Look along muddy estuaries, coastal marshes, and damp inland meadows. They are very alert and tend to flush easily, emitting a loud, piping alarm call that alerts other wildlife.

Common Redshanks are known as the 'watchdogs of the marshes' because their loud, frantic alarm calls often warn other birds and animals of approaching danger.