Conservation Status: 🟠amber
A medium sized wading bird: their closest breeding grounds are northern Scotland and Scandinavia. The greenshank is a passage migrant for Essex, and can be found across lakes, marshes and coastal wetlands as they make their way to their wintering grounds in the west of Africa.
Greenshank are a less common relative of the redshank: but with grey-green legs instead of red.
They’re slightly taller than their more common cousin – about 32cm long compared with 28cm for redshank – with females being slightly larger than their male counterparts. They have long slender legs, a grey back and a slightly upturned bill which can be more obvious when they’re in flight. When they’re flying, their darker wings make a lovely contrast with their white undersides.
They tend to avoid crowds so you will always see them either on their own or in small groups, they feed in shallow waters, often chasing small invertebrates and fish, which they hunt by sight.
Greenshank perform display flights at their breeding grounds, flying up and down and sometimes tumbling in the air.
There are less than 1,000 greenshank in the whole country in the winter, compared with more than 100,000 redshank.
They visit the Essex Coast when they are on passage to escape colder climates, so it is vital that they are given ample opportunity to feed and rest, so they can continue their migration south.
As coastal wetlands and marshes are their key feeding habitat, please stay off of these habitats if you can see birds nearby. Also ensure to keep your ears and eyes peeled for distress calls or birds becoming aware of your presence.
