Green Sandpiper

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Uncommon bird: +3 points when you log it.

Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Drains, sewage works (passage).
Diet: Invertebrates.
Best time to spot: Dark with white rump; "sweet-weet-weet".

When to look

Resident in the UK, so it can be found year-round. Numbers peak in May. See the May birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Green Sandpiper sits in our Uncommon tier for the UK: regular, but you usually need the right place or the right season. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Where to see it

Reserves where the Green Sandpiper is on the list:

• RSPB Minsmere
• RSPB Titchwell Marsh
• Rutland Water

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Common GreenshankUncommon · Bogs (summer); estuaries (passage)
• Wood SandpiperRare · Boggy pools
• Marsh SandpiperEpic · Pools
• Spotted RedshankRare · Estuaries
• Common RedshankCommon · Marshes
• Grey-tailed TattlerLegendary · Rocky shore (extreme vagrant)

Kit that helps

Best spotting scopes for UK birding. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.