Indian Birds
हिरवा सुरमा , हिरवा तुतवार ,हिरवट पायचा तुतवार
Common greenshank
The
common greenshank (
Tringa nebularia) is a
wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. Its closest relative is the
greater yellowlegs, which together with the
spotted redshank form a close-knit group. Among them, these three species show all the basic leg and foot colours found in the
shanks, demonstrating that this character is
paraphyletic.
[2] They are also the largest shanks apart from the
willet, which is altogether more robustly built. The greater yellowlegs and the common greenshank share a coarse, dark, and fairly crisp breast pattern as well as much black on the shoulders and back in breeding plumage.
This is a subarctic bird, breeding from northern Scotland eastwards across northern Europe and Asia. It is a
migratory species, wintering in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Australasia, usually on fresh water. It breeds on dry ground near marshy areas, laying about four eggs in a ground scrape.
Common greenshanks are brown in breeding plumage, and grey-brown in winter. When in water, they can appear very similar to
marsh sandpipers but are distinguished by the shape of the lower bill which gives it an upturned appearance to the bill. They have long greenish legs and a long bill with a grey base. They show a white wedge on the back in flight. They are somewhat larger than the related
common redshank. The usual call is a rapid series of three short fluty notes syllabilized as
teu-teu-teu.
Like most waders, they feed on small
invertebrates, but will also take small fish and amphibians.
The common greenshank is one of the species to which the
Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies