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Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca
Scolopacidae

Slightly upturned bill; long flashy yellow legs
Pacific coast spring migrant
Atlantic coast spring migrant
Fall Migrant at boat launch of Salter Grove
Stalking prey in muddy substrate
Forages on sandy shoreline
Legs trail behind in flight; dark breeding plumage
Non-breeding bird in flight; unmarked underparts
Coming in for a landing
Fishing on breeding grounds
Chicks develop in mosquito-infested boreal bogs and marshes
Non-breeding Greater Yellowlegs looms above Spotted Sandpiper
Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs in breeding plumge
Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs in non-breeding plumage
Probing for marine worms on tidal mudflat
Connoisseur of frog legs
Wintering in Cuban swamp

A likely place to see the Greater Yellowlegs at Salter Grove would be the boat launch at low tide during migration from April through May, and from August through October.  This large shorebird can be seen walking on the exposed mud flats or wading in shallow water stabbing at aquatic invertebrates and chasing after small fish.

Although it is quite a bit larger, the Greater Yellowlegs has a plumage that is nearly identical to that of the Lesser Yellowlegs.  The two are easily confused unless they are standing side by side.  Unfortunately they are rarely seen together even though both species migrate through the park at about the same time of year.  

The Greater Yellowlegs has a slightly upturned bill that may be grayish at the base and is 1.5 times longer than the width of the head in profile.  In contrast, the Lesser Yellowlegs usually has an all black bill that appears thin and needle like and is about the same length as the head is wide.  The Greater also characteristically gives off a loud "tew-tew-tew" as it flies off when it is alarmed.

Familiar enough during migration, not much is known about the breeding biology of this large and widespread shorebird species because it nests in the mosquito-infested wetlands of boreal Canada.  The swarms of insects during the breeding season guarantees reproductive success for insectivorous birds but do not encourage extensive field studies.

Although it was a favorite game bird in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Greater Yellowlegs is now protected from hunters in North America by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  However, it is still hunted in parts of the Caribbean where it spends the winter months.  Unfortunately, it faces an even greater threat in the loss of wetland habitats within its wintering range.