About Tringa brevipes (Vieillot, 1816)
Taxonomy and Species Relationships
The grey-tailed tattler, with the scientific name Tringa brevipes (Vieillot, 1816), is closely related to its North American counterpart, the wandering tattler (T. incana), and is difficult to distinguish from that species. Among all species in the genus Tringa, both tattlers are unique in having unpatterned, greyish wings and back.
Breeding Plumage Features
In breeding plumage, both also have a scaly breast pattern that extends more or less onto the belly, and a rather prominent supercilium. These birds resemble common redshanks in shape and size.
Non-breeding Plumage Coloration
Their upper parts, underwings, face and neck are grey, and their belly is white.
Limb and Bill Morphology
They have short yellowish legs, and a bill with a pale base and dark tip. They have a weak supercilium.
Morphological Differentiation from Wandering Tattler
They are very similar to the wandering tattler, and differentiation depends on fine details such as the length of the nasal groove and scaling on the tarsus.
Vocal Distinguishing Feature
The clearest distinguishing feature is the call: the grey-tailed tattler has a disyllabic whistle, while the wandering tattler has a rippling trill.
