Marsh Sandpiper assuming non breeding plummage, Jaipur

Marsh Sandpiper assuming non breeding plummage, Jaipur

Marsh Sandpiper assuming non breeding plummage, Jaipur

The marsh sandpiper is a small wader. It is a rather small shank, and breeds in open grassy steppe and taiga wetlands from easternmost Europe to central Asia. The genus name Tringa is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle.

It is a migratory species, with majority of birds wintering in Africa, and India with fewer migrating to Southeast Asia and Australia. They prefer to winter on fresh water wetlands such as swamps and lakes and are usually seen singly or in small groups. These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, and similar small prey. They feed by wading briskly in shallow water, pecking from the surface or sometimes sweeping the bill from side to side. They may wade deeper and feel for prey. They also follow the other aquatic birds, and take the preys disturbed by their movements. This is an interesting individual with one leg in winter non breeding plummage and the other leg still showing the breeding plummage (Yellow).  It is classified as least concern by IUCN.

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