Behaviour This species is a full migrant^{1, 9, 10}, breeding in the subarctic and arctic zone of Fennoscandia and Siberia¹⁰. On passage to its wintering grounds the majority of the species travels overland on a broad front, although there is also an important route down the west coast of Europe^{1, 10}. Females begin to moving south in early-June, the males following during July, and juveniles migrating from August to September¹. The movements of this species are characterised by long flights between staging areas (such as the Wadden Sea, Dutch delta region, southern Hungary, south-east Greece, central Turkey, the Black and Caspian Seas, central Kazakhstan, Lake Baikal, Chang Lake (Ussuriland), central Yakutia, Sakhalin, Japan and Korea)¹, those birds wintering in Sahel and northern savanna zones (e.g. Mali, Nigeria and Chad¹⁰) also cross the Sahara¹. Arrival in Africa begins in August and peaks in October⁹, the species being present throughout the tropics mainly between October and April¹, and returning to arctic breeding grounds between late-April and mid-May¹. Few birds remain in the tropics during the breeding season, but non-breeders may spend the summer just south of the breeding grounds¹. The species breeds in dispersed pairs and is often seen singly, although it is also common in parties of up to 20 and exceptionally over 100^{1, 2}. Adults typically moult in large flocks⁹ in staging areas in their arctic breeding range before moving to wintering grounds¹. This species is both a diurnal and nocturnal feeder¹. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species inhabits lowland and upland (but not montane) regions, in wooded and open tundra⁵, marshes, swampy pine or birch forest near the arctic tree-line, and also more open areas such as heathland and shrub tundra^{1, 3}. Non-breeding During migration and on its wintering grounds⁴ this species frequents a variety of freshwater and brackish wetlands such as sewage farms, irrigated rice fields, brackish lagoons, salt-marshes, salt-pans, sheltered muddy coastal shores¹ and mudflats³, marshes and marshy lake edges^{2, 3}, small reservoirs, pools and flooded grasslands². Diet The species is carnivorous, its diet consisting chiefly of aquatic insects and their larvae (especially swimming beetles and hemipterans), terrestrial flying insects (such as craneflies), small crustaceans, molluscs, polycheate worms, and small fish and amphibians up to 6-7 cm long^{1, 3}. Breeding site The nest of this species is a shallow depression⁵ positioned in grass tussocks¹, on sphagnum moss⁴, or in fairly dry areas of forest^{amongst low vegetation such as dwarf willows3. Nest sites are often selected near dead trees or other suitable look-out perches3. Management information Intensive grazing of grassland (> 1 cow per hectare) was found to attract a higher abundance of this species in Hungary11.}

KBPBU239-06|UWBM 44495|Tringa erythropus| ------------------------------------------CTATACCTAATCTTTGGCGCATGAGCTGGTATAATTGGAACCGCCCTC---AGCCTCCTCATTCGTGCAGAATTAGGTCAACCGGGAACCCTACTAGGAGAC---GACCAAATTTACAATGTAATCGTCACCGCCCATGCCTTCGTAATAATTTTCTTCATAGTAATACCAATTATAATCGGCGGCTTCGGAAATTGACTAGTCCCACTCATA---ATTGGTGCCCCCGACATAGCATTCCCACGTATAAACAACATAAGCTTCTGACTACTCCCACCATCATTCCTACTACTACTAGCATCCTCAACAGTAGAAGCCGGAGCTGGTACAGGATGAACAGTATACCCCCCTCTCGCTGGTAATCTAGCCCATGCTGGTGCCTCAGTAGACCTG---GCCATCTTCTCTCTCCACCTAGCAGGGGTCTCCTCTATTCTTGGTGCCATCAATTTCATCACAACTGCCATTAACATAAAACCCCCAGCCCTCTCCCAATATCAAACCCCCTTGTTCGTATGATCAGTACTTATTACCGCCGTCCTTCTTTTACTCTCCCTCCCAGTCCTTGCCGCC---GGCATCACTATACTATTAACAGATCGAAACCTAAATACCACATTCTTTGATCCCGCTGGAGGAGGAGACCCAGTCCTATACCAACACCTTTTCTGATTCTTCGGCCATCCAGAAGTTTATATCCTTATTCTA------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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Red List Category

Red List Criteria

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This species is threatened by habitat loss in its wintering range and on migration: wetland sites in Ghana are being degraded through coastal erosion and developments involving drainage and land reclamation⁶; and in China and South Korea important migrational staging areas around the coast of the Yellow Sea are being lost through land reclamation and degraded as a result of declining river flows (from water abstraction), increased pollution, unsustainable harvesting of benthic fauna and a reduction in the amount of sediment being carried into the area by the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers^{7, 8, 12}.