Fun Spotted Redshank Facts For Kids

Spotted redshanks are birds of European background but are spread all over the tundra region. They are members of the family of Scolopacidae and contain the Tringa genus. Most of these birds are migratory in nature and are seen to be migrating during the winter months.

The motive is to search for a proper place and food for the summer months. Few pairs are known to travel across the Persian Gulf.

This group covers the gulf and move towards South Asia. Along with South Asia, they also hover around the open sites in Taiwan. According to scientific research, almost half of the population migrating are considered to be the resident of Iceland.

During the breeding season, the birds are spotted near the Mediterranean habitat including the salty marsh sites and meadows. Few lakes can be seen populated as well.

Although during the winter season, spotted redshanks are found near estuaries mostly. The spotted redshank flight is visibly dark due to the dark breeding plumage. The gestation site is near bogs or swampy areas and wet habitats.

 If you like reading this, you might want to be read about macaw and dove.

Spotted Redshank Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a spotted redshank?

The spotted redshank is a bird. The species belongs to the Scolopacidae family and has the Chordata phylum.

What class of animal does a spotted redshank belong to?

Spotted redshanks belong to the waves class of animals. The birds belong to the Tringa genus and are a member of the Charadriiformes order.

How many spotted redshanks are there in the world?

These spotted redshanks are listed under the Least Concern Conservation status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although the birds are of least concern at the moment, the exact population of these wading birds currently residing on the planet is not known to the scientific researchers as of now.

Where does a spotted redshank live?

Spotted redshanks are mostly found around the southern parts of Scotland and towards the northern parts of England. Although the western range of England allows few birds to be a resident as well. The species usually breed through the arctic region mostly concerned at the Palearctic range.

This range extends from Lapland in the west towards the east up to Chukotskaya. Recently the major population of the species is spotted wintering through northern Scandinavia towards Russia.

In Russia, towards the north and east, the birds can be seen breeding. This breeding site might expand from the north of Siberia up to Chukotskiy Peninsula. During the winter months, the birds move from Europe towards the equatorial region of Africa.

What is a spotted redshank's habitat?

Being a bird of the north European range, these species are most comfortable in the tundra forest areas. These forests are usually wooded and include healthy land for breeding sites as well.

Although for the non-breeding birds, they are fond of the areas adjacent to the water bodies. These areas are mostly lakeshores, coasts, or lagoons. These species have a specific preference when it comes to breeding sites.

Who does spotted redshank live with?

The spotted redshank birds are mostly found in isolation or in small groups of the same species. Although during the winter months, the birds are seen in huge flocks with their family migrating.

How long does a spotted redshank live?

The exact lifespan of a spotted redshank bird is not known to scientific researchers as of now.

How do they reproduce?

Redshank birds are the birds of north Europe found all over the equatorial zones. These birds are usually monogamous in nature which means that these birds find a pair and are most likely to breed with the same bird throughout.

Although in rare situations, few birds were found to be polyandrous where a female bird is found to mate with several male birds during the winter months or the breeding season. This bird breeds generally during the summer months.

They migrate in winter to search for a suitable place and lay eggs during the summer. During the summer, the birds start building their nests.

The nests are built near boggy areas surrounding the taiga region. At times, these nests can be seen near moss or a tussock. The nests are built on the ground which is protected by male birds.

The female bird is in charge of laying the eggs while the male birds search for food. During the summer months like May or June, the female lays around three to five eggs.

Although, on average the bird produces four eggs. The male adult nurtures the chick.

When the female breeds, during the excessive summer heat, the breeding plumage are noted to be dark gray in color. The plumage along with the dark gray shade is barred with few white spots as well.

What is their conservation status?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), these birds of wetland habitats, are listed under the Least Concern category. Recently the birds are spotted across northern parts of the equatorial extending to the south of Africa.

Hence due to proper scientific research and conservation, there has been a stable growth in the population trend of the spotted redshank bird.

Spotted Redshank Fun Facts

What does the spotted redshank look like?

The major identifying description of spotted redshank is the barred marks on their bodies. These species have a black plumage during the breeding time although it turns pale during wintering. During spring plumage is molted within a range of March and May, whereas the adult birds molt themselves during July and October.

They have red wings with a black bill. The bill helps the bird to catch the prey. They have a short tail with a pair of red legs.

How cute are they?

Like a rufous hummingbird, these brown birds are extremely cute by appearance. The plumage of these birds is known to change over the span of a year which is intriguing. The brown wings and the moderately gray plumage create a sober coloration that could be a treat to the eyes of the visitors.

How do they communicate?

These birds are most vocal during their flight. This bird has loud calls which are generally very sharp and not very long.

They usually create a web-like pattern during the flights and their calls are the first thing which is a trait of identification for the birds. The calls usually have two syllables which are short and sharp like 'koo-eett'.

During this time, the former syllable is a soft call while the latter syllable is a sharp and steady call. During their web pattern display, while flying in continuous cycles they emit a 'krroo-lee-ooo' call.

Although during danger, an adult bird is known to let out a call like 'ke-ke-ke-ke'. This alerting call is almost similar to that of a falcon.

How big is a spotted redshank?

Spotted redshank is known to have an average weight of around 0.2–0.5 lb (0.09-0.22 kg) with a length of around 11.4–12.6 in (28.9–32 cm) on average. They are not very small and are larger than greenshank birds by almost two-third of their own size. An average greenshank is known to have a weight of around 0.4 lb (0.18 kg).

How fast can a spotted redshank move?

Although these species are great fliers, the exact speed of their flight is not known. These birds are known to have a smooth flight and can fly for a longer period of time while migrating.

How much does a spotted redshank weigh?

The average spotted redshank has a weight of around 0.2–0.5 lb (0.09-0.22 kg). It is bulkier than a bee hummingbird.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The adult male and female members of the species are generally referred to as cock and hen respectively.

What would you call a baby spotted redshank?

A baby spotted redshank is usually termed a chick.

What do they eat?

Being carnivores in nature, these birds are known to be feeding on small insects and aquatic invertebrates. The species eat worms, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. During the summer, they are seen feeding on fishes and amphibians as well. They usually use their bill to collect the prey.

Are they poisonous?

According to scientific data and media, there has been no information regarding the birds being harmful or poisonous to other animals or humans, unlike hawks.

Would they make a good pet?

Considering the fact that birds are not fixed residents of any habitats, it would be extremely difficult for humans to keep these birds as pets. Hence, it is advised not to keep these birds as pets.

Did you know...

These species are capable of sweeping the water with their bill and collecting their prey even when they are swimming as well.

Female spotted redshank birds are comparatively larger than the male spotted redshank.

Do redshanks migrate?

Yes, these species are migratory in nature. During winter months, the species migrate towards the southern parts of their respective habitats in search of adequate food and breeding site.

Spotted redshank vs redshank

The spotted redshank bird is a wading bird with few differences from the normal redshank. A redshank bird is not a wading bird and is comparatively shorter than the spotted redshank.

Redshank does not have the barred white marks or spots on them and has a shorter neck as well. The spotted redshank call is sharper and more shrill in comparison to the calls of a redshank bird.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these robin facts and magpie facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable cute owl family coloring pages.

Second image by Ian Kirk from Broadstone, Dorset, UK.