Lesser yellowlegs Tringa flavipes


Identification Tips:

Adult alternate:

Adult basic:

Similar species:

Solitary Sandpiper is smaller, shorter-billed and has a bolder eye ring, a dark rump, and green legs. The Greater Yellowlegs is very similar but is larger, with a slightly upturned and proportionately longer bill. In alternate plumage the Lesser is more finely streaked about the head, neck, and flanks. The safest way to distinguish the two is the call: a harsh series of three or more notes in Greater Yellowlegs versus a softer, mellower single or double note of the Lesser Yellowlegs.

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