Bird name:

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Code 4

LEYE

Code 6

TRIFLA

ITIS

176620

Breeding Location:

Grasslands, Fields, flooded agricultural

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Loose colonies

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Buff to yellow or gray with brown blotches

Number of Eggs:

3 - 4

Incubation Days:

22 - 23

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Leaves and vegetation.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Lesser Yellowlegs: Large sandpiper with gray and black mottled upperparts, white underparts and streaked upper breast and sides. Bill is straight and uniformly dark gray. White lower rump and dark-barred tail are visible in flight. Legs are long and yellow. Sexes are similar. Winter adult and juvenile are paler.

Range and Habitat

Lesser Yellowlegs: Breeds from western Alaska and Canada east to western Quebec. Spends winters on coasts from southern California and Virginia southward, and along the Gulf coast. Preferred habitats include coastal mudflats, pans and lagoons, inland lakes, ponds, rivers, sewage works, and flooded grasslands.

Breeding and Nesting

Lesser Yellowlegs: Three to four buff to yellow or gray eggs with brown blotches are laid on a pile of leaves and vegetation near water. Incubation ranges from 22 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Lesser Yellowlegs: Feeds on aquatic insects and other invertebrates; usually forages on mudflats or in shallow water.

Vocalization

Lesser Yellowlegs: Utters a high-pitched "tew", sometimes repeated.

Similar Species

Lesser Yellowlegs: Wood Sandpiper is smaller and has green legs and feet. Greater Yellowlegs is larger and has a slightly upturned bill.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America