Common Redshank

Tringa totanus

The sentinel of the marsh. Spots you first and shouts the alarm before your message even lands.

Population: ~1.1–1.8 million individuals globally (≈740,000–1,200,000 mature individuals), across nine flyway populations; IUCN Red List assessment dated 17 June 2025
Habitat: Wetlands — coastal salt-marshes, mudflats and estuaries in winter; damp meadows, grassy marshes and inland wet grasslands during the breeding season, often nesting at high density
Fun fact: Common Redshanks are famously wary sentinels of the wetlands — their loud, piping alarm calls at the first sign of danger alert every other bird nearby, and the oldest individual on record (a British-ringed bird) lived at least 20 years, 1 month and 15 days.
Range: Breeds across temperate Eurasia from Iceland and the British Isles east through continental Europe to Mongolia, Tibet and northeast China; winters around the Mediterranean, the Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and South/Southeast Asia; a rare vagrant to North America and the Caribbean
Diet: Probes mud and shallow water for small invertebrates — insects, spiders and worms are important in the breeding season, while mollusks, crustaceans, small fish and tadpoles are taken more in winter
Size: 0.28 m
Wingspan: 0.62 m
Lifespan: 20 years

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