Behaviour Most populations of this species are fully migratory and travel on a broad front over land and along coasts, some Icelandic and Western European populations remaining close to their breeding grounds¹. It breeds from March to August² in solitarily pairs or in loose colonies^{1, 2}, departing the breeding grounds from June to October, and returning from the wintering grounds again between February and April². Outside of the breeding season the species forages singly, in small groups¹ or occasionally in larger flocks of up to c.1,000 individuals⁵ especially at roosting sites² or when feeding on fish¹. Habitat Breeding The species breeds on coastal saltmarshes, inland wet grasslands with short swards¹ (including cultivated meadows)³, grassy marshes, swampy heathlands¹ and swampy moors³. Non-breeding On passage the species may frequent inland flooded grasslands¹ and the silty shores of rivers and lakes⁴, but during the winter it is largely coastal¹, occupying rocky, muddy and sandy beaches, saltmarshes, tidal mudflats, saline and freshwater coastal lagoons¹, tidal estuaries³, saltworks and sewage farms¹. Diet Breeding When breeding its diet consists of insects, spiders and annelid worms¹. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season the species takes insects, spiders and annelid worms¹, as well as molluscs, crustaceans (especially amphipods e.g. Corophium spp.)¹ and occasionally small fish and tadpoles¹. Breeding site The nest s a shallow scrape or hollow⁵ on a hummock or at the base of a tuft⁴ of grass¹, often well hidden by overhanging leaves¹. The species usually nests solitarily inland (less than 10 pairs/km²) but in loosely colonial groups (up to 100-300 pairs/km²) on the coast¹. Management information Optimal breeding conditions for this species may be provided by creating a mosaic of unflooded grassland, winter-flooded grassland and shallow pools⁹. Winter flooding of grasslands is beneficial to the species as it helps to keep the sward height short and open and also creates pools which provide a source of aquatic invertebrates in the spring^{9, 13}. Such shallow pools on coastal grazing marshes should be maintained until the end of June¹⁶. The number of breeding pairs on improved grassland was successfully increased on a reserve in Wales by the implementation of a two-year rotation of chisel ploughing, as well as a seasonal sheep and cattle grazing regime and a controlled increase in the water-level¹⁴. At Lower Lough Erne in Northern Ireland the breeding population of the species increased considerably as a result of cutting rush beds in mid-winter (although the species nested on uncut areas, chicks benefited from the presence of adjacent short, open areas for feeding)¹⁵. Low-level grazing of salt marshes (e.g. c.1 cow per hectare) does not appear to affect the species and may even be beneficial to breeding populations^{19, 20}, although cattle should not be put onto the marsh until towards the end of the nesting season (e.g. late-May or early-June) to minimise the risk of nest trampling¹⁹. There is also evidence that too heavy grazing can be detrimental¹⁸. The species is known to show increased hatching success when ground predators have been excluded by erecting protective fences around nesting areas⁸, and in the UK there is evidence that the removal of Spartina anglica from tidal mudflats using a herbicide is beneficial for the species¹⁸.

BROM165-06|MKP 2774|Tringa totanus| AACCGATGATTATTCTCAACCAACCACAAAGATATCGGCACCCTATACCTAATCTTCGGAGCATGAGCGGGTATAATCGGAACTGCCCTC---AGCCTTCTCATCCGCGCAGAATTAGGTCAGCCGGGAACTTTACTAGGAGAC---GACCAAATTTACAATGTAATCGTCACCGCCCATGCCTTTGTAATAATCTTCTTCATAGTAATACCAATTATAATTGGTGGCTTCGGAAATTGACTAGTTCCACTCATA---ATCGGCGCCCCCGACATAGCATTCCCCCGTATAAATAACATAAGCTTTTGACTACTCCCCCCATCATTCCTACTACTATTAGCATCCTCAACAGTAGAGGCAGGAGCTGGTACAGGATGAACAGTATATCCTCCTCTCGCCGGTAACCTAGCCCATGCCGGTGCTTCAGTAGATCTA---GCTATCTTCTCTCTCCATTTGGCAGGTGTCTCTTCTATCCTAGGCGCCATCAACTTCATCACAACTGCTATTAACATAAAACCTCCAGCCCTCTCCCAATACCAAACTCCCCTATTTGTATGATCAGTACTTATTACTGCCGTTCTTCTCCTACTCTCCCTTCCAGTTCTCGCTGCC---GGCATCACTATACTTCTAACAGATCGAAACTTAAACACCACATTCTTTGATCCCGCAGGAGGAGGGGACCCAGTCCTATACCAACACCTCTTCTGATTCTTCGGCCACCCAGAAGTTTACATCCTCATTCTACCAGGCTTCGGAATTATCTCCCATGTTGTAGCCTACTATGCAGGTAAAAAA---GAACCATTTGGATATATAGGAATAGTATGAGCTATACTATCCATCGGATTCCTAGGCTTTATTGTATGAGCCCACCACATATTTACAGTAGGA---- 
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The species is threatened by the loss of breeding and wintering habitats through agricultural intensification, wetland drainage, flood control, afforestation, land reclamation, industrial development¹, encroachment of Spartina spp. on mudflats^{1, 18}, improvement of marginal grasslands¹ (e.g. by drainage, inorganic fertilising and re-seeding)¹⁰, coastal barrage construction⁷, and heavy grazing (e.g. of saltmarshes)¹⁷. The species is also threatened by disturbance on intertidal mudflats from construction work (UK)¹¹ and foot-traffic on footpaths¹². It is vulnerable to severe cold periods on its Western European wintering grounds¹ and suffers from nest predation by introduced predators (e.g. European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus) on some islands⁸. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza so may be threatened by future outbreaks of the viurs⁶.