Birds of Ireland: Redshank

They are a scarce breeding species, usually seen in the autumn and winter on estuaries and wetland. 

Redshanks are smaller than oystercatchers and both sexes look similar with long orange-red legs. They have a medium-sized straight dark beak with a red base. 

Their non-breeding plumage is plain with dark grey-brown upperparts; they are pale grey-brown on their neck/breast and white on their belly/undertail. A redshank's breeding plumage is more heavily streaked on the neck/breast/flanks and there are dark spots on their wings/back. 

Juveniles and redshanks with immature plumage are more vividly marked than non breeding adults and they have yellow-orange legs. 

In flight a triangular white patch on their back is visible as is a broad white trailing edge to most of their wing. Also visible is their white tail with  dark bars — and their feet project a little beyond the tail. 

A redshank's voice is very noisy when disturbed — it utters a loud, harsh, repeated tieuu-ieuu. In the breeding season it makes a monotonous, tiew-tiew-tiew sound. 

Tip of the Week

The time of year you see a bird can be important. Many of the birds we see in Ireland are migrants, either coming here to breed, such as the swallow; for the non-breeding time of the year, usually the winter, such as the whooper swan; or just passing through on migration, such as the whimbrel. While it is always possible to see a particular species at almost any time of the year, most are found at certain times of the year and seeing one outside their usual time should make you cautious about its identification. Also, during migration, birds that are scarce or rare in Ireland can get blown off course and end up here. For instance, American waders can get caught up in autumn storms in the Caribbean and Atlantic while migrating from Arctic North America to their wintering grounds in Central and South America, and so are more likely to be seen here at that time of year. 

Featured in Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide, (Gill Books) by Jim Wilson, with photographs by Mark Carmody.

• Jim Wilson is a wildlife writer, broadcaster, tour leader, and former chairman of BirdWatch Ireland. He has been involved in the study and conservation of birds in Ireland for more than 45 years, contributing to several major surveys and international projects.
• Mark Carmody is an award-winning wildlife photographer, has a PhD in biochemistry and works as a European patent attorney.