30-10-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREEN SANDPIPER (Tringa ochropus)

The Green Sandpiper is a fairly bulky, small wader that looks very dark above and white below. It is typically found by inland fresh waters. Unlike most Scolopacidae, it usually nests in trees, but instead of building a nest, it uses an old one, abandoned by other species, especially thrushes and Wood Pigeon. However, it may occasionally nest on the ground among tree roots.    

The Green Sandpiper breeds in forested habitats across N Europe and Asia, and spends the winter from Africa to SE Asia.

This species is currently not globally threatened, in spite of some decline due to habitat changes in wintering areas.

The Green Sandpiper breeds in Scandinavia and N and E Europe, through C Asia and E Siberia, with isolated population in Kyrgyzstan (C Asia) and extreme NW China (NW Xinjiang).

It winters in Mediterranean and tropical Africa, and from Turkey through Middle-East and Indian Subcontinent to S japan, E China, Philippines and N Borneo. There are small populations wintering in W and WC Europe, and in Tien Shan area.  

The Green Sandpiper breeds in damp area in various types of woodlands including swampy woodland, montane forest (pine, spruce and alder), usually close to water, in vicinity of rivers and streams, swamps and lakes.  

On the wintering grounds, it can be found in freshwater locations, by streams, pools, ditches, sewage farms, marshes, and occasionally, sheltered tidal creeks.

This species is recorded at high elevation in winter, more than 2700 metres in Ethiopia, 2800 metres in Bhutan, and more than 3000 metres in Turkey.