# Greater Yellowlegs

*Tringa melanoleuca*

Known as the 'marsh guardian,' its piercing 'tew-tew-tew' alarm call alerts all nearby wildlife to the presence of a predator.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Tringa
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Fresh and brackish wetlands, mudflats, tidal marshes, and flooded fields.
- **Diet:** Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, crustaceans, and snails.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, South America, Caribbean
- **Size:** 29-40 cm length, 60-70 cm wingspan
- **Lifespan:** 9-12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland degradation, coastal development, and climate-driven changes to boreal breeding grounds.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and skittish. Maintain a distance of at least 30 meters to avoid causing stress. If the bird begins bobbing its head or calling loudly, you are too close and should back away slowly.

## About

The greater yellowlegs ( Tringa melanoleuca ) is a large North American shorebird. 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. The specific melanoleuca is from Ancient Greek melas , "black", and leukos , "white".

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f76b63dd-9a73-4289-9c4b-126805859ea8
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3892
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tringa melanoleuca
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/433087980/medium.jpg (Adam Jackson, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.