Small yellow leg
| Small yellow leg | ||||||||
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Lesser yellow thigh ( Tringa flavipes ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Tringa flavipes | ||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1789) |
The little yellow thigh ( Tringa flavipes ) is a monotypical species of bird from the family of snipe birds. It is a breeding bird of North America and winters in southern North America as well as in South America. The IUCN classifies the little yellow thigh as 
(= least concern - not endangered).
Appearance
The small yellow thigh reaches a body length of 23 to 25 centimeters, of which 3 to 4 centimeters are accounted for by the beak. The legs are 5 to 7 centimeters long. The wingspan is 58 to 64 centimeters. The weight varies between 60 and 100 grams.
In the splendid dress , the little yellow thighs have a pale gray or whitish head, which is finely dashed in dark brown. A not sharply demarcated over-eye stripe runs over the eye to almost the neck. The white eye ring and the white chin can be seen more clearly. The neck and the underside of the body are whitish or pale gray. The chest is dashed and mottled dark brown. The coat is dark brown with white or pale gray spots. The tail is white or pale gray and has a dark transverse markings. In the plain dress , the little yellow leg is predominantly gray-brown feathered. The breast is then only dashed. The black beak is narrow and straight. In numerous individuals it is yellow-brownish at the base of the beak. The iris is dark brown.
Fledglings resemble adult birds in simple dress, but their throat is lighter, the top of the body is brownish and the chest is grayer. The downy chicks are spotted reddish brown and black on the upper side of the body, their body underside is pale gray.
In the south of their breeding area, the small yellow thigh can be confused with the large yellow thigh because their areas of distribution overlap here. The plumage of the two species is almost identical, but the large yellow thigh is larger and has a different reputation repertoire.
distribution
The Lesser Yellow Thigh is a Nearctic species that breeds from Alaska to the southern coast of Hudson Bay . The little yellow thigh prefers marshland at the tree line as a habitat.
It is a migratory bird and migrates to the coasts of the southern United States, Central America and the Caribbean in the winter months. It also occurs in the winter half-year in South America as far as Tierra del Fuego.
Way of life
The little yellow thigh mainly eats invertebrates, which it picks up from the water surface or the ground. It also eats small fish and seeds. The way they move around while foraging is striking, as the birds pull their legs very high and peck for prey with rapid movements. Occasionally they run through the water at a quick pace.
During the winter months, Little Yellow Legs are predominantly sociable birds. This behavior is less pronounced during the breeding season, although they occasionally breed in small, loose colonies. Little yellow legs enter into a monogamous seasonal marriage. Once the pair bond is established, the male vigorously defends his female, which ornithologists interpret to mean that copulations outside of the pair relationship occur regularly.
The nest is just a shallow hollow that is well hidden in the vegetation. The clutch usually consists of four eggs. These are gray or pale olive in color and mottled with brown. The breeding season is 22 to 23 days. Both parent birds are involved in the brood. The chicks flee from the nest and are initially fledged by both parent birds. They are fully fledged between 22 and 23 days. The Little Yellow Leg first breeds at the age of two.
supporting documents
literature
- Richard Sale: A Complete Guide to Arctic Wildlife , published by Christopher Helm, London 2006, ISBN 0-7136-7039-8 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Tringa flavipes inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2013.