Tringa flavipes

Description

The lesser yellowlegs is a gray-brown bird with a white belly. It has a long, straight, black bill and long yellow legs.

Voice

The call of the lesser yellowlegs is a soft "yew" or "yu-yu."

Breeding

April to September

Habitat

Lesser yellowlegs are shorebirds, but they also like marshes, mudflats, and pond edges. They like covered areas with shallow water and some grass. They build their nests in drier areas.

Diet

These graceful birds walk along the ground, plucking invertebrates (like insects) from the mud and water with their long bills.

Range

Lesser yellowlegs spend their summers in Canada and Alaska and their winters along the southern coast. They migrate through most of the United States.

Other Useful Information

These birds usually stay by themselves, but they may form groups. Sometimes, they even socialize with greater yellowlegs.

Similar Species

Greater yellowlegs are almost identical to lesser yellowlegs. However, greater are larger and have a relatively longer and more curved bill. Greater yellowlegs also have more striped sides than lesser yellowlegs.