Specie's Page                                               Greenshank - Small Waders

Greenshank:

UK Status: Resident in parts of the UK, reinforced by over wintering birds by birds coming in from the north.

Habitat: This bird ls mainly coastal, and is not often found inland. It can be found on shallow pools and marshes, near the coast, also in the shallower muddy parts of river estuaries. This bird feeds on invertebrates that it probes for in the mud and silt in it's various habitats.

Breeding: This small ground breeding wader makes it's nest on the dryer ground in and around marshlands, also in areas of wet grassland. Nests are just a shallow scrape in the ground, and are lined with dried grass, and other plant materials. Greenshank tend to lay four eggs, though this may on occasion vary between three and five. Eggs are pale buff in colour with darker blotches, mainly denser at the blunt end of the shell. Nesting takes place from April through to June, the eggs take twenty five to thirty days to hatch.

Comment: These birds can be seen in flocks of various sizes during the autumn and winter months. In the breeding season they tend to be more solitary. This used to be a very common bird, but is seen less often these days.