The Green Sandpiper, known to scientists as Tringa ochropus, is an interesting wading bird. Despite its name, it's not really green - it's more dark grey-brown with white spots. About the same size as a blackbird, it has fairly long green legs.
These birds love small water spots like ponds and streams. They're usually pretty quiet, but when they fly off, they make a loud "tlu-it" sound. Green Sandpipers are known for suddenly taking off if they feel scared.
You can see them in the UK all year, but they're more common in winter. They come from places like Scandinavia and Russia, where they breed. Funnily enough, they often lay their eggs in old nests of other birds up in trees, which is a bit odd for wading birds.
Green Sandpipers eat small water creatures like insects and worms. While their numbers are okay for now, losing wetlands is a problem for them.
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27 авг 2024
