Common redshank

    Tringa totanus

Castilian: Archibebe común

Catalan: Gamba roja vulgar

Gallego: Bilurico patirrubio

Euskera: Bernagorri arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Vulnerable”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

listen song

THREATS

The most important threats are the loss of habitat due to increased farming activity, the clearing of surrounding marshy areas, and the abandonment of salt marshes. The predation by gulls, rats, dogs and cats, and the disturbances that it suffers during reproduction, should also be pointed out.

Length / size: 24-27 cm / 47-53 cm

Identification: Medium-sized wader with bright orange legs and a relatively large bill that is orange at the base. During mating season, the adult's back is dark brown with light streaks; his underparts are also light in colour and crossed by brown streaks. Plumage is greyish with faint bars across the breast during the rest of the year. In flight a white stripe on the back part of the wings can be observed, as well as a pale wedge on its back and a tail with transverse bars.

Song: It makes a typical "teeoo-teeoo", a melancholic sound. And its call is a repetitive "kaip kaip".

Diet: It feeds on aquatic invertebrates, such as crustaceans, mollusks and bristle worms.

Reproduction: It begins in April. The nest, covered with grass, it located on the ground, among low vegetation.

HABITAT

It occupies aquatic habitats, both inland and coastal, with certain levels of plant cover, such as the edges of canals, marshes and salt marshes.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: When wintering, it is most abundant along the Andalusian Atlantic coastline (Bay of Cádiz) and the Mediterranean (Ebro Delta). When breeding, it is distributed throughout western Andalusia, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, and the Balearic Islands.

In Castile and León: Its most common breeding and wintering ground is Villafáfila (Zamora). However, in passage it is more common and is widespread throughout the entire community.

Movements and migrations: Although it is a resident species, its habits are partially migratory. Specimens from western Europe come to the peninsula to winter. In August, the postnuptial migration begins in the Mediterranean and Cantabrian coasts, and the prenuptial passage takes place in the entire coast between March and May.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 680-850 breeding pairs and 3500 wintering specimens.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of less than 75 breeding pairs (1999 data).