Common greenshank

    Tringa nebularia

Castilian: Archibebe claro

Catalan: Gamba verda

Gallego: Bilurico claro

Euskera: Kuliska zuria

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Migratory status: Passage migrant

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The transformation and alteration of its habitat caused by human constructions and illegal hunting should be noted.

Length / size: 30-33 cm / 68-70 cm

Identification: Medium-sized wader with long, yellowish-green legs and a somewhat long bill that is curved slightly upward with a greenish base and black tip. During mating season, the colouration of the adult's back can vary (some dark feathers with white edges, others grey with dark markings); its neck, breast and underparts are light in colour but have brown bars. Its plumage is greyish during the rest of the year, and its breast and underparts are white. In flight, its upper body is dark and its tail is lightly barred, but its pale rump that extends in the shape of a wedge to its back is visible.

Song: In flight it makes a mournful "teeoo teeoo teeoo" sound.

Diet: It feeds on invertebrates, but during breeding season it complements these with insects and small fish.

Reproduction: The nest is located in a depression in the ground, in forest clearings or between rocks or shrubs; it is made of plant scraps and feathers. Shortly after birth, the chicks are very precocious.

HABITAT

When breeding it occupies the outskirts of forest and steppe areas, but in winter it is found in aquatic areas, such as marshes and estuaries.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: In winter it prefers coastal areas, and the principal concentrations are in the Guadalquivir marshes, the Galician inlets, the Ebro Delta, and the Villaviciosa inlet. It can also be seen in inland wetlands when migrating.

In Castile and León: When wintering, it is routinely distributed in the Esla-Bernesga confluence (León) and in the Rivers Tiétar and Guadyerbas.

Movements and migrations: Specimens from central and Atlantic Europe arrive to our latitudes. The autumn passage takes place in all of our coasts from August to October, and the spring passage occurs between March and April. In the strait and inland areas, the passage is rarer.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 260-1300 wintering specimens.

In Castile and León: