Greater Yellowlegs

Look for

A tall, slim shorebird on bright yellow legs, gray-brown checkered back, streaky white underparts, long slightly upturned bill. Walks delicately on mudflats, picking at the surface.

The key ID vs Lesser Yellowlegs: bill length — Greater's bill is longer than its head, Lesser's bill is about head-length.

Size: ~14" — robin-height on extra-long legs.

Listen for

• Call: a loud, carrying three-to-four-note "tew-tew-tew!" — emphatic, descending, often given as an alarm. "Tell-tale" folk name comes from this — they alert every other shorebird in the wetland when danger approaches.

Where in Memphis

Muddy edges, flooded fields, shallow wetlands. Spring and fall migration only.

• Ensley Bottoms / President's Island — the shorebird spot
• Shelby Farms lake edges (when water is low)
• Flooded fields across rural Shelby County
• Mississippi River mudflats after water recedes

Rare in summer, absent in deep winter.

Behavior

• Active foragers — walk briskly through shallow water, striking at prey with the bill.
• Loud alarm callers — will fly up calling the moment a human or predator approaches.
• Migrate in small loose flocks (2–15 birds), often mixed with Lesser Yellowlegs.

Story

"Tell-tale"

Classic American shorebird folk name — Greater Yellowlegs alert every bird in the wetland the moment something's amiss. Colonial American market-hunters hated them because their calling ruined duck-hunting opportunities.

The difficult pair

Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are one of birding's classic "how do you tell these two apart?" puzzles. They breed in different parts of Canada, migrate at slightly different times, have subtly different calls — but identify as a pair on first glance. Birders learn to listen (Greater's call is harsher, 3–4 notes; Lesser's is softer, 1–2 notes).

The Arctic-to-South-America flight

Greater Yellowlegs breed in Canadian boreal bogs and winter as far south as Argentina. Memphis gets them twice a year on migration.

Fun facts

• They migrate alone or in small flocks, not the huge wheeling flocks of most shorebirds.
• Males have a "butterfly flight display" over breeding territory — slow wing-flapping, loud calling.
• Oldest known wild Greater Yellowlegs: 14+ years.
• Their bill curves very slightly upward — subtle but visible at close range.