The Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) is an elegant, long-legged wader that in breeding plumage is almost entirely sooty black, flecked with fine white spots above and set off by strikingly dark red legs — an unmistakable look shared with no other Swedish shorebird. In winter plumage it transforms into a pale grey-and-white bird, with a white wedge running up the back visible in flight. It measures 29–32 cm in length, has a wingspan of 52–59 cm and weighs 140–220 grams. The bill is long, straight and shows a red base, and the bird's overall silhouette is slender and high on the leg.
In flight, Spotted Redshanks give a loud, clear, rising call often rendered "tjuvitt," a useful way to locate them overhead. The Swedish breeding population, estimated at 2,000–5,000 pairs and declining, nests on forest bogs in the interior of Norrland, arriving in May and departing again between July and September for wintering grounds around the Mediterranean and in Africa; on passage in August, birds rest widely at muddy bays and shallow waters across the country. The nest is a shallow scrape on a tussock, and the female typically lays four eggs. Unusually among waders, the female often abandons the brood before the young can fly, leaving the male to raise the chicks alone. Spotted Redshanks feed on small fish, aquatic insects, insect larvae and crustaceans, foraging by wading in surprisingly deep water and even swimming or diving after prey — a habit rare among their relatives. The species is classified as Near Threatened in Sweden, reflecting an ongoing decline, even though the global population remains stable.
Read about this species in Swedish →