Nordmann’s Greenshank

Nordmann’s Greenshank Tringa guttifer is the bird we wanted to see today having missed it on our previous visit to Pak Thale. Three birds of this species were seen and all at considerable distance. This is not a good photo therefore but it was probably my one and only chance to see and photograph this species. In the photo, it is the bird to the right of the posts, in the front row and looking very pale. It is marked clearly in the following photo.

The main habitats of Nordmann’s Greenshank are mudflats and sandflats.

This species is listed by BirdLife International as Endangered because it has a very small population which is declining as a result of the development of coastal wetlands throughout its range, principally for industry, infrastructure projects and aquaculture. Preliminary analyses of survey data collected at its breeding sites in Russia have provided evidence that the species’ population is indeed undergoing a very rapid decline; clarification of these results may lead to a review of its threat status in the near future. The estimated world population is between 600 and 1,300 birds!!

Reference: BirdLife International (2017) Species factsheet: Tringa guttifer. Downloaded from BirdLife on 18/01/2017.

Nordmann’s Greenshank aka Spotted Greenshank breeds in eastern Russia along the south-western and northern coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk and on Sakhalin Island. Its non-breeding range is not fully understood, but significant numbers have been recorded in South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong (China), and Taiwan on passage, and in Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia in winter. It has also been recorded on passage or in winter in Japan, North Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (which may prove to be an important part of its wintering range), Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. There are unconfirmed records from Nepal and Guam (to US).

Reference: Wikipedia