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Tringa melanoleuca
Greater Yellowlegs
Florida native
All of Florida is in the non-breeding range of these long-legged waders, which extends northward along the Atlantic Coast to Long Island and west along the Gulf Coast into much of Texas, and farther along the Rio Grand and Colorado Rivers to the west coast of the US. Non-breeding distribution extends southward through Mexico, the lower elevations of Central America and South America. Breeding range includes southern portions of Alaska and the northern part of the Canadian provinces. Migration is across southern Canada and most of the United States, plus the higher elevations of Central America.
Greater yellowlegs are from 29-33cm (11.4 to 13 in.) long with a wingspan of about 60cm (~2 ft.). Appropriately, legs are bright yellow, sometimes orange in the spring. The bill is slightly upturned towards the end.
Tringa melanoleuca is a member of the Scolopacidae - Sandpipers, Snipes, and relatives family.
Other species of the Tringa genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Tringa flavipes - LESSER YELLOWLEGS
Tringa semipalmata - WILLET
Tringa solitaria - SOLITARY SANDPIPER
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds
Date record last modified: Jul 21, 2022
