Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank 

(Tringa erythropus), a bird of the family Charadriidae of the order Charadriiformes. The body is about 30 cm long. The breeding plumage is slate black with white speckles, and the legs are reddish brown. The spotted redshank is found in the northern part of the forest zone, in the forest-tundra, and sometimes in the shrub tundra of Europe and Asia. In the USSR it is distributed from the Kola Peninsula east to the lower courses of the Kolyma and Anadyr’ rivers. It is a migratory bird, wintering in Africa and southern Asia. Nests are built along the grassy shores of shallow lakes. The clutch contains four eggs, which are usually incubated by the male. The bird feeds primarily on aquatic insects and other invertebrates; sometimes small fish and tadpoles are eaten.