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Common Greenshank

 

Tringa nebularia

IUCN status: Least concern

Flyway population 110 000 (2022 estimate)

Common Greenshank. Moreton Bay. Robert Bush.

Identification

Non-breeding:  The noticeable feature is the white underparts.  The mantle, scapulars and wing coverts are grey speckled with white.  The head, nape, the back of the neck and the ear coverts are white streaked with a darker grey.  There is an indistinct white supercilium.  The slightly upturned bill is bicoloured being grey with an olive-green base.  The legs are long and olive green.  The rump and back are a clean white.
Breeding:  The plumage is similar but the feathers of the back are darker, and the head and neck are more heavily streaked.
Juvenile:  Similar to adult, with upperparts feathers darker with buff edges.

 

Similar Species

Marsh Sandpiper:  This bird is 30% smaller, and has a slighter, more delicate build.  The bill is needle-like.  In flight its legs dangle noticeably beyond the tail.

Distribution

 

Breeds in Northern Scotland, Scandinavia and across Russia to Kamchatka. Non-breeding grounds throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. Can be found along the Queensland coastline and sparsely scattered inland north of Dalby.

Monthly reports of Common Greenshank in Queensland

Monthly sightings

Best sites in Queensland to see Common Greenshank

International and Nationally Important sites in Queensland

Significant Bird Area Year Peak Count International National
SE Gulf of Carpentaria 2015 496 No Yes
Great Sandy Strait 2010 383 No Yes
Mapoon 2024 210 No Yes
Yearly trends in Qld

Population trends:

Number of shorebird areas used in the trend analysis: 33

Generation time: 6.3 years (Bird et al. 2020)

Percent change in abundance over three generations: -60.49 (95%CI: -77.94, -31.13)

Percent change in abundance between 1993 and 2021: -72.30 (95%CI: -84.31, -52.62)

Percent annual change in abundance between 1993 and 2021: -4.48 (95%CI: -6.40, -2.63)

Percent annual change in abundance between 1993 and 2012: -4.36 (95%CI: -7.46, -1.34)

Percent annual change in abundance between 2012 and 2021: -8.59 (95%CI: -14.85, -0.73)

Change in annual growth rate between 1993-2012 and 2012-2021: -0.045 (95%CI: -0.13, 0.046)

Conservation 

EPBC listing: Endangered, Marine, Migratory

Draft conservation advice:

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/consultation-document-tringa-nebularia.pdf

 

 

 

References

  1. Geering, Andrew, Lindsay Agnew, and Sandra Harding, eds. Shorebirds of Australia. Csiro Publishing, 2007.
  2. BirdLife Australia (2023). Common Greenshank. [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/common-greenshank/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
  3. van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), 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.comgre.01
  4. 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)
  5. 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.
  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. https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/