Grey-tailed Tattler
Tringa brevipes
IUCN status: Least concern
Flyway population 80 000 (2022 estimate)
Grey-tailed Tattlers. Breeding and non-breeding. Moreton Bay. Robert Bush.
Peter Harms, Queen’s Esplanade, Thorneside, 2026
Identification
A medium-sized, grey wader with yellow legs and a straight bill
Plumage
Non-breeding: Upperparts comprising crown, nape, neck, mantle, scapulars and wings are a uniform grey. The supercilium is white and extends beyond the eye. Throat and chin are white. The breast is light grey and the rest of the lower parts are white. The bill is longish and black but paler yellow toward the base. Legs are dull yellow.
Breeding: Similar to non-breeding plumage but underparts are finely barred with grey. Legs are bright yellow.
Juvenile: Like adult non-breeding plumage but with buffy margins to the wing feathers.
Confusing Species
Wandering Tattler: Generally darker in breeding and non-breeding plumages. The eye-stripe does not extend as far back as on the Grey-tailed Tattler.
Terek Sandpiper: Often found roosting with Grey-tailed Tattler. Smaller, with darker colouration and more orange legs. Up-turned bill is the most obvious difference.
Distribution
Breeds along stony riverbeds in the mountains of north-east Siberia. Migrates to southern China, south-east Asia, New Guinea and Australia.
Monthly reports of Grey-tailed Tattler in Queensland
Best sites in Queensland to see Grey-tailed Tattler
International and Nationally Important sites in Queensland
| Significant Bird Area | Year | Peak Count | International | National |
| Shoalwater | 2016 | 2349 | Yes | Yes |
| Great Sandy Strait | 2016 | 1738 | Yes | Yes |
| Moreton Bay | 2021 | 1512 | Yes | Yes |
| Pumicestone Passage | 2016 | 990 | Yes | Yes |
| Burdekin River Delta | 2019 | 670 | No | Yes |
| Mackay | 2013 | 656 | No | Yes |
| Gladstone | 2011 | 380 | No | Yes |
| Ince Bay | 2018 | 311 | No | Yes |
Conservation
EPBC listing: Not threatened, Marine, Migratory
References
- BirdLife Australia (2023). Grey-tailed Tattler. [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/grey-tailed-tattler/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
- van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, G. M. Kirwan, and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Gray-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes), 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.gyttat1.01
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/