Nordmann's greenshank

Nordmann's greenshank (Tringa guttifer) or the spotted greenshank, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders.

Nordmann's greenshank
Non-breeding plumage
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Tringa
Species:
T. guttifer
Binomial name
Tringa guttifer
(Nordmann, 1835)
Synonyms

Pseudototanus guttifer [2]

Description

The Nordmann's greenshank is a medium-sized sandpiper, at 29–32 cm (11–13 in) long, with a slightly upturned, bicoloured bill, and relatively short yellow legs. Breeding adults are boldly marked, with whitish spots and spangling on black upperside; heavily streaked head and upper neck; broad, blackish, crescentic spots on lower neck and breast; and darker lores.

Distribution

The Nordmann's greenshank breeds in eastern Russia along the south-western and northern coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk and on Sakhalin Island. Its non-breeding range is not fully understood, but significant numbers have been recorded in South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on passage, and in Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia in winter. It has also been recorded on passage or in winter in Japan, North Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (which may prove to be an important part of its wintering range), Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. There are unconfirmed records from Nepal and Guam (to US). It probably has a population of 500–1,000 individuals. It has been recorded several times on 80-mile beach in Western Australia and most recently an individual was observed for several weeks by dozens of bird watchers in Cairns, Queensland, Australia in January 2021 - the first time this species was recorded on the East coast of Australia.

Taxonomy

It is fairly aberrant and was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Pseudototanus. It is an endangered species, and was not available for molecular analyses in Pereira & Baker's study (2005) of the genus Tringa. It appears closest overall to the semipalmata-flavipes and the stagnatilis-totanus-glareola groups, though it also has some similarities to the greater yellowlegs and common greenshank.

Common Greenshank & Nordmann's Greenshank, Cairns, Australia ©Adrian Walsh 2021
Nordmann's Greenshank, Cairns, Australia ©Adrian Walsh 2021

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Tringa guttifer". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. https://www.hbw.com/species/spotted-greenshank-tringa-guttifer
  • Birdlife International retrieved 3/1/2007
  • Pereira, S. L., & Baker, A. J. (2005). Multiple Gene Evidence for Parallel Evolution and Retention of Ancestral Morphological States in the Shanks (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae). The Condor 107 (3): 514–526. DOI: 10.1650/0010-5422(2005)107[0514:MGEFPE]2.0.CO;2 abstract
  • eBird.org record of first Australian east coast sighting by Adrian Walsh
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