Green sandpiper

Description

The green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World.The genus name Tringa is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas,a thrush-sized,white-rumped,tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle.The specific ochropus is from Ancient Greek okhros,"ochre",and pous,"foot".This species is a somewhat plump wader with a dark greenish-brown back and wings,greyish head and breast and otherwise white underparts.The back is spotted white to varying extents,being maximal in the breeding adult,and less in winter and young birds.The legs and short bill are both dark green.It is conspicuous and characteristically patterned in flight,with the wings dark above and below and a brilliant white rump.The latter feature reliably distinguishes it from the slightly smaller but otherwise very similar solitary sandpiper (T.solitaria) of North America.