Marsh Sandpiper. Robert Bush.

Identification

Medium sized, long-legged wader that is grey and white with a needle-like bill. Found in brackish or freshwater wetlands.

Plumage

Non-breeding:   The top of the head is grey, with a  neck streaked with black.   The rest of the head and neck, except the chin and throat is streaked  with grey.  The back and wings are grey with white edges to the feathers.  The underparts, from the chin through to the vent are white.  The bill is black with a green base, and ‘classically’ termed as being needle-like.  The legs are grey-green.
Breeding:  The streaking is more heavily marked with dark grey, both on the head and neck as well as the back.
Juvenile:  Similar to the non-breeding adult plumage, but is more marked because the feathers are dark grey with paler margins.

Confusing Species

Greenshank:  This bird is slightly larger with a heavier, slightly upturned bill. In flight the legs do not trail far behind the tail.
Curlew Sandpiper:  This bird has about the same body size as the Marsh Sandpiper and a similar plumage in non-breeding plumage so if the legs and bill are hidden it can appear the same as Marshie.

Breeds in steppe and boreal wetlands from eastern Europe to eastern Asia. Migrates to Africa, southern Asia and Australia. Can occur in large numbers in northern Australia, especially when staging on southward migration.

Monthly reports of Marsh Sandpiper in Queensland

Monthly sightings

References

1. BirdLife Australia (2023). Marsh Sandpiper. [Text before updates sourced from: Marchant, S. et al (eds) 1990-2006 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.Volume 1 to 7.] Birdlife Australia. Birdlife Australia. Source: https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/marsh-sandpiper/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
2. van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.marsan.01
3. eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available:  http://www.ebird.org (Accessed: Date 12/4/2026)
4. Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
5. Geering, Andrew, Lindsay Agnew, and Sandra Harding, eds. Shorebirds of Australia. Csiro Publishing, 2007.
6. Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
7. van Swinderen, L., Hansen, B.D., Fuller, R.A., Watkins, D., Rogers, D.I., Clemens, R.S., Newman, M., Woehler, E.J., Weller, D.R. and LeClair, S. (2025). Revision of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Population Estimates for 37 listed Migratory Shorebird Species. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
8. https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/