A medium sized wading bird really elegant. the redshankt has longish red legs and a long, straight bill which is black with a red base. It is grey-brown above and whitish with dark spots below. In flight, it shows very obvious white rear edges to the wings and a white 'V-shape' up its back. Non breeding plumage is paler and less spotted. Both sexes look similar.

28cm - 130g

These birds - the redshanks like the wet moorlands, coastal marshes, inland lakes and lochs.

Earthworms, insects, small frogs, tadpoles, molluscs, crustaceans

Melodious piping

Redshanks breed on damp fields, meadows and moorland. Redshanks nest on the ground. The nest is a shallow scrape or hollows on a hummock or at the base of a tuft of grass, often well hidden by overhanging leaves. The species usually nests solitarily inland - but sometimes in larger groups on the coast - 4eggs - April - June . Incubation 22 - 25 days - the young fledge from 25 days. When breeding redshanks often perch on a gate or fence post in order to watch their territory and watching for rivals or predators.

The redshank is by far the commonest European wading bird. We see lots of these birds on The Western Isles. This bird is sometimes known as " the sentinel of the marsh" - the name been given because the redshank has a habit of sounding a noisy alarm call when any intruder enters its territory. Many other birds take advantage of this watchfulness and alarm calling and nest alongside the redshanks - (oyster catchers, plovers for example)