The Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) is a large, elegant wader found across Sweden, Norway and Denmark, easily recognised by its grey-green legs and slightly upturned bill. It measures 30–35 cm in length with a wingspan of roughly 55–65 cm and weighs around 150–250 grams — a tall, slender-built bird. The upperparts are greyish-brown, darker and clearly spotted in breeding plumage, while the underside is white. In flight a long white wedge runs up the back, a useful field mark, while the wings are uniformly dark without any white trailing edge.
Its most common call is a ringing, fluting and usually three-noted "tju-tju-tju" that carries far across open mires, often given by birds taking flight or displaying; during the breeding season a more rolling, yodelling song can also be heard. The Common Greenshank breeds in northern Sweden, chiefly on mires within the boreal forest of Norrland and near-mountain woodland, with a national population in the tens of thousands of pairs. It is a long-distance migrant, arriving in May and departing between July and September to winter in Africa; on passage it stops over almost anywhere in the country at muddy bays, ponds and shore meadows. The nest is a simple scrape on a tussock, often beside a stone, stump or small pine used as a landmark, and the usual clutch of four eggs is incubated by both parents. It feeds on small fish, insects and their larvae, crustaceans and other invertebrates, foraging actively in shallow water — often wading and chasing small fish with quick, energetic dashes.
Read about this species in Swedish →