Common Greenshank

The common greenshank is a large, long-legged sandpiper that now reaches New Zealand only as a rare vagrant. A grey-brown wader with white underparts, black breast streaking when breeding, a slightly upturned blackish bill and yellowish-green to blue-green legs. In flight a white V up the back contrasts with the grey-brown wings. The call is a sharp 'tew tew tew'. The marsh sandpiper is smaller with a finer bill, and the lesser yellowlegs has yellow legs and a square white rump.

It breeds across Eurasia and winters in Africa, Asia, Indonesia and Australia. In New Zealand mainland records include Porirua Harbour, Kaipara Harbour, Lake Ellesmere, the Manawatū estuary, Miranda and Riverton, plus the Chatham, Snares and Campbell Islands. It feeds on crustaceans, small fish and worms, often by running through shallow water after shrimp and fish. Visitors favour estuarine and brackish margins, often near pied stilts.

The New Zealand classification is Vagrant, with sightings declining greatly in recent decades; there have been eight accepted mainland records since 2004. Sightings are too rare to plan for; check estuaries and lagoon margins such as Lake Ellesmere and the Manawatū estuary during summer.