This week we are profiling a distinctive, red-legged wading bird which can be spotted at RSPB Geltsdale. Redshanks’ most recognisable features are their bright orange-red legs. They also have a matching red base on their medium-length bills, while in the breeding season their backs and wings are brown and speckled and their bellies are paler. In flight, they have a triangular wedge up their backs and a wide, white triangle on their rears. Out of the breeding season, Redshanks have greyer upperparts with no marks except for some narrow fringes on their feathers. Their underparts are paler with fine streaks, their breasts are dull brown and they have white eye rings, paler orange legs and a duller base to their bills.
Redshanks use their distinctive bills to probe into sand, soil and mud to find insects, earthworms, molluscs and crustaceans. They are one of only two waders with bright red legs, the other being the Spotted Redshank, which is slightly larger with longer legs and a longer bill.
Redshanks (Latin name: Tringa totanus) are found in their largest numbers in the UK in Scotland and south west England. They breed between April and June in damp areas such as saltmarshes, mudflats, flood meadows and around lakes, and in winter can be seen on estuaries and coastal lagoons, with many arriving from Iceland to spend the winter in the UK. There are around 25,000 breeding pairs in the UK and 130,000 wintering birds. They are monogamous and nest in solitary pairs of loose colonies, with the male making a shallow depression in the ground and the female covering it with grass and leaves before she lays three to five eggs. The eggs are incubated by both adults. Redshank chicks are able to walk and feed almost as soon as they leave the nest. They need areas of tall vegetation to shelter and hide them from predators and damp areas where they can find invertebrates to feed on.
Keep your eyes peeled for these bright-legged birds on grassland and mudflats, as they probe soil and sand for food, feeding on insects, spiders, worms, tadpoles and crustaceans. When disturbed they fly off with a noisy cry.