Shorebird migration is peaking now in Maine as southbound birds head for warmer climes for the non-breeding season.\u00a0 We get two cracks a year with these passage migants as they move through Maine each spring and late summer\/fall.<\/p>\n
Two species of yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs and Greater Yellowlegs, are common migrants through Maine.\u00a0 They are more likely to be seen on coastal mudflats but regularly appear in inland wetland areas as well.\u00a0 The bright yellow legs make it easy to identify a large sandpiper as a yellowlegs but which one is it?\u00a0 Separating the two is an identification challenge.<\/p>\n
As befits the name, the Greater Yellowlegs is larger than the Lesser, weighing twice as much as its smaller relative. \u00a0Greater Yellowlegs are chunky, bulky birds compared to the slim, graceful shape of Lesser Yellowlegs. A Lesser is 10-11 inches long while a Greater is 14-15 inches long. \u00a0Nevertheless, it is difficult to accurately gauge the size of birds when there are not other known species around to provide a yardstick.\u00a0 Fortunately, other characteristics can be used to distinguish the two species.<\/p>\n
A somewhat subjective but useful feature is the facial appearance.\u00a0 The face of a Lesser appears has a kind, gentle demeanor compared to a Greater\u2019s harsher mien.<\/p>\n
A Greater with its bulkier body has a relatively small head and thin neck.\u00a0 The neck frequently has a kink in it, like a heron.\u00a0 The breastbone is strongly angled and bulges from the chest.\u00a0 The neck of a Lesser is relatively thick and shorter, rarely showing the kinked appearance.\u00a0 The head does not seem small relative to the body.<\/p>\n
The bill of a Greater is absolutely and relatively longer (relative to the head).\u00a0 You can use the length of the head viewed from the side as a measuring stick.\u00a0 The bill length of a Greater exceeds the length of the head.\u00a0 Measurement of museum specimens indicates the bill averages about 1.3 times the length of the head.\u00a0 A Lesser\u2019s bill is pretty close to the length of the head.<\/p>\n
The bill of a Greater Yellowlegs is slightly upturned compared to the straight bill of a Lesser.\u00a0 Outside of the breeding season, the bill of a Greater Yellowlegs is broader at the base and usually two-toned (gray at the base and black at the tip).\u00a0 The tip of the bill is somewhat blunted.\u00a0 A Lesser has a straight, thin, needle-like bill with a sharp tip.\u00a0 The bill is uniformly black along the length.<\/p>\n
Your ears can provide the most convincing cues for a correct identification.\u00a0 A Greater Yellowlegs gives a loud, piercing whistle that is often rendered as \u201ctew tew tew\u201d.\u00a0 A Lesser Yellowlegs gives a softer, less strident call rendered as \u201ctu\u201d, that may be given as single notes or a couple of notes.\u00a0 A great website to hear recordings of these two species is www.AllAboutBirds.org; just type in the species name of interest in the search box and press Enter.\u00a0 On the species screen, you will see a tab called Sound.\u00a0 Click on that tab and you will be taken to\u00a0 links for a number of recordings.<\/p>\n
The difference in the vigor of the calls is reflected in the foraging behavior. A Greater is a hyperkinetic forager, dashing back and forth along a mudflat.\u00a0 A Lesser is a more sedate, less frenetic forager.<\/p>\n
Most of the other large members of the sandpiper family that pass through Maine lack yellow legs and hence are not likely to be confused with one of the two yellowlegs.\u00a0 However, Stilt Sandpipers can cause some confusion.\u00a0 These birds have greenish-yellow legs and are about the size of a Lesser Yellowlegs.\u00a0 In fact, they often forage with Lesser Yellowlegs.\u00a0 Proportionally, the head of a Stilt Sandpiper seems large.\u00a0 The bill is relatively heavy and shows a pronounced droop.<\/p>\n
[First published on August 18, 2013]<\/p>\n\n
Shorebird migration is peaking now in Maine as southbound birds head for warmer climes for the non-breeding season.\u00a0 We get two cracks a year with these passage migants as they move through Maine each spring and late summer\/fall. Two species of yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs and Greater Yellowlegs, are common migrants through Maine.\u00a0 They are more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23371],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":610,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions\/610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}