DISSEMINATION
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DISSEMINATION |
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| Kingdom | Animalia | 
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| Phylum | Chordata | |
| Class | Aves | |
| Order | Charadriiformes | |
| Family | Scolopacidae | |
| Genus | Tringa | |
| Species | totanus | |
| Classification | Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Common name | common redshank | |
| Size | 27 - 29 centimeters | |
| Wing Span | 45 - 52 centimeters | |
| Male weight | 85 - 140 grams | |
| Female weight | 110 - 155 grams |
| Geographic Range | Africa, Europe, Asia. |
| Physical Characteristics | it is a medium dimensions wader; the plumage is brown while the paws are bright red. When it is flying, the wide white band crossing the back edge of the wing can be noticed. The beak is red with a black tip. The back is white, while the lower part is black. In summertime the upper part of the body of the adults is darker, brown and spotted, while the lower part is white with streaking on the breast. In winter the plumage changes and the upper part of the body, the head and the neck become grey-brown, while the lower part remains white. In the young the upper part is brown with dark streaking, the beak is reddish brown, the paws are grey-green. |
| Call | it has a wide range of calls. When it is frightened it increases the frequency of the calls. |
| Behaviour | it moves on muddy surfaces with fast and continued walking, regularly pecking the surface of the water. It is interested in the tide level in order to be the first to search with the beak the muddy bottom free from the tide. It feeds both day and night, when the tide is most suitable to its needs. The common redshank is monogamous; pairs after migration always return for breeding to the same place and with the same partner. They are not very territorial. They can form wide colonies during the breeding season and when a predator attacks a nest the adults gather in order to send it away. |
| Habitat | the reproduction area is located on fields, humid lawns, moorlands. It spends winter in estuaries and in marshes. |
| Food habits | molluscs, crustaceans, insects, spiders, small fishes, tadpoles. |
| Migration | it can be seen in big flocks during migration. They usually migrate at night. Some species of western Europe and of Iceland are resident, while they spend winter in areas between Africa and the Philippines. In Italy it is a wintering, migrating and nest-building bird. |
| Nidification | the nest is just a hollow in the ground, hidden near or under vegetation. The male builds the base and the female lines it with twigs and leaves. From 3-5 eggs are laid, which are then incubated by both parents usually for 22-25 days. About a day after the hatch of the eggs, the young go out from the nest to feed by themselves, while parents look carefully at them. Initially both parents look after them, but the female is the first to leave the nest. The male remains in the nest to look after the young until they are covered with feathers at about the age of a month. |
| Status in the lagoon | in winter there is a big concentration of common red shanks in the lagoon where they are mainly found in the salt and brackish marshes of the open lower lagoon. It is found in the fish farms too (Figheri, Dogà). The southern lagoon is an important wintering and breeding site. |
| Sources | |
| References | Mangrove and wetland wildlife at Sungei Buloh
Nature Park I censimenti degli uccelli svernanti in Provincia di Venezia - a cura di M. Bon e G. Cherubini - Provincia di Venezia, Assessorato Caccia e Pesca. |
| Web References | http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/index.htm |
| Source of the photo | http://home0.inet.tele.dk/topcon/hjemmesider/roedben.htm |
| Source of the call | http://www.oiseaux.net/ |
| Source of the video | http://www.hbw.com/ibc/ |
Tringa
totanus
