Lesser Yellowlegs

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Rare bird: +8 points when you log it.

Lesser Yellowlegs in the UK

A scarce migrant from North America, on the British List in Category A. The first was shot at Misson, Nottinghamshire, in the winter of 1854/55. There were 387 records between 1950 and 2018, some of them birds returning to favoured sites. It averages around ten a year, with a peak of 20 in 2016. That was enough for the national rarities committee to stop assessing it from January 2019, and records are now judged by county committees. A few stay through the winter.

Where and when to see a Lesser Yellowlegs

Most are found in September and October, when juveniles are carried across the Atlantic behind fast-moving lows. The south-west of England is well placed for new arrivals, but birds turn up on any coast and inland too. Check freshwater pools, flooded fields, scrapes on reserves and the upper creeks of estuaries. Spring birds also occur. News breaks through the bird news services, and many stay for weeks, so there is usually time to travel.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Pools, marshes (vagrant).
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates.
Field note: Slender, bright-yellow legs.

How to identify a Lesser Yellowlegs

A slim, elegant wader, smaller than a Redshank and a little larger than a Wood Sandpiper. The long legs are bright yellow. The bill is fine, straight, dark and about as long as the head. Long wings reach past the tail tip at rest. In flight the wings are plain dark with no wing bar, and the white rump is a square patch that does not run up the back. Juveniles are grey-brown above with neat white spotting and a grey wash on the breast.

Call and song

A soft, flat 'tew' or 'tew-tew', usually one or two notes. It is quieter and less ringing than a Greenshank and lacks the urgent three-note call of Greater Yellowlegs. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Greater Yellowlegs: Greater is Greenshank-sized with a longer, thicker, faintly upturned bill and a loud three or four-note call.
• Wood Sandpiper: Wood Sandpiper is smaller with shorter greenish-yellow legs, a bold pale stripe over the eye and wings that do not project past the tail.
• Common Redshank: Redshank has red or orange legs, a red bill base and a broad white trailing edge to the wing.

Month by month

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.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Lesser Yellowlegs is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Where to see it

Reserves where the Lesser Yellowlegs is on the list:

• Isles of Scilly

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Marsh SandpiperEpic · Pools
• Solitary SandpiperLegendary · Freshwater pools (vagrant)
• Greater YellowlegsLegendary · Pools (very rare vagrant)
• Wood SandpiperRare · Boggy pools
• Common RedshankCommon · Marshes
• Grey-tailed TattlerLegendary · Rocky shore (extreme vagrant)

Lesser Yellowlegs: quick answers

Has a Lesser Yellowlegs ever been seen in the UK?

Yes, many times. It is one of the most regular American waders in Britain, found every year. The first dates from the 1850s, and nearly 400 were recorded between 1950 and 2018.

What is the difference between Lesser Yellowlegs and Greater Yellowlegs?

Size and bill. Lesser is Wood Sandpiper-like with a fine straight bill about the length of its head. Greater is as big as a Greenshank, with a bill clearly longer than the head. Greater is also far rarer in Britain, so any yellowlegs here is much more likely to be a Lesser.

When is the best time to see Lesser Yellowlegs?

September and October bring the most new birds. Some settle and winter on estuaries and coastal pools, and a few have returned to the same site in later years, so a wintering bird can offer the easiest views of all.

Kit that helps

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