Home/Species/ Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

(Gmelin, 1789)

Greater Yellowlegs

G5Secure Found in 89 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Near threatenedIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105760

Element CodeABNNF01020

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNNear threatened

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassAves

OrderCharadriiformes

FamilyScolopacidae

GenusTringa

Other Common Names

Grand chevalier (FR) Maçarico-Tititiu, Maçarico-de-Perna-Amarela (PT) Patamarilla Mayor, Pitotoy Grande (ES)

Concept Reference

American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2016-04-10

Change Date1996-11-25

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Range Extent Comments

BREEDING: from southern Alaska, central British Columbia, and southern Mackenzie east across northern and central parts of Canadian Provinces to Labrador, northeastern Nova Scotia, southern Quebec, and Newfoundland. NON-BREEDING: from Oregon, central California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, southern South Carolina through Mexico and Central America to Tierra del Fuego, including West Indies; rare in Hawaii. The Guianas are the major coastal nonbreeding areas in South America (Morrison and Ross 1989). Nonbreeders sometimes summer in winter range, especially in coastal U.S. and West Indies (AOU 1983). Fairly common throughout most of range.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Nonbreeding: marshes, ponds, lakes, stream margins and sand and gravel bars, lagoons, salinas, and coastal mudflats (AOU 1983, Stiles and Skutch 1989). Nests in muskeg country or at other wetlands, on the ground in a slight depression in moss or dry peat, usually near water.

Ecology

Generally not as gregarious as lesser yellowlegs; nonbreeding: usually solitary or in small groups.

Reproduction

Breeding begins in late May or early June (Harrison 1978). Usually 4 eggs are incubated (probably by both sexes) for 23 days (Terres 1980). Nestlings are precocial. Young are tended by both adults; capable of first flight in about 18-20 days.

Terrestrial Habitats

Woodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedGrassland/herbaceous

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLANDBog/fenRiparian

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5B,N5N

Province	Rank	Native
Rhode Island	SNA	Yes
Montana	SNA	Yes
Kentucky	SNA	Yes
Virginia	SNRN	Yes
New Mexico	S4N	Yes
Colorado	S4N	Yes
North Carolina	S4N	Yes
Arizona	S3N	Yes
Connecticut	SNA	Yes
New Jersey	S4N	Yes
Nebraska	SNRN	Yes
Alabama	S4N	Yes
South Dakota	SNA	Yes
Wyoming	S4N	Yes
Minnesota	SNRM	Yes
Pennsylvania	S3M	Yes
New Hampshire	SNA	Yes
Ohio	SNA	Yes
Washington	S4N	Yes
Texas	S5	Yes
Idaho	S3M	Yes
Louisiana	S5N	Yes
Georgia	S5	Yes
Florida	SNRN	Yes
Delaware	S4N	Yes
Alaska	S5B	Yes
Mississippi	SNA	Yes
Navajo Nation	SNA	Yes
Missouri	SNA	Yes
New York	SNRN	Yes
Utah	S2	Yes
District of Columbia	S3N	Yes
Iowa	S5N	Yes
Illinois	SNA	Yes
Arkansas	SNA	Yes
South Carolina	S4N	Yes
North Dakota	SNA	Yes
West Virginia	SNA	Yes
Tennessee	S5N	Yes
Oklahoma	SNRN	Yes
Massachusetts	S4N	Yes
Kansas	S4N	Yes
Maine	S4N	Yes
Maryland	S1N	Yes
California	SNRN	Yes
Vermont	SNA	Yes
Wisconsin	SNA	Yes
Michigan	SNRN	Yes
Oregon	S5N	Yes
Nevada	S4N	Yes
Indiana	S3M	Yes

CanadaN5B,N4N

Province	Rank	Native
Northwest Territories	SU	Yes
Alberta	S4B,S5M	Yes
Yukon Territory	S3B	Yes
Manitoba	S5B	Yes
Nova Scotia	S3B,S4M	Yes
Labrador	S4B,SUM	Yes
New Brunswick	S1B,S4M	Yes
Nunavut	SUB	Yes
Ontario	S4B,S5M	Yes
Island of Newfoundland	S3B,S4M	Yes
Saskatchewan	S5B	Yes
British Columbia	S4	Yes
Quebec	S4B	Yes
Prince Edward Island	S4M	Yes

Roadless Areas (89)

Alaska (46)

Area	Forest	Acres
Anan	Tongass National Forest	36,666
Bering Lake	Chugach National Forest	965,076
Boston Bar	Chugach National Forest	53,617
Central Wrangell	Tongass National Forest	13,397
Chichagof	Tongass National Forest	555,858
Chilkat-West Lynn Canal	Tongass National Forest	199,772
Chugach-13	Chugach National Forest	13,337
College Fiord	Chugach National Forest	1,130,818
Copper River Wetlands	Chugach National Forest	85,972
Douglas Island	Tongass National Forest	28,065
East Wrangell	Tongass National Forest	7,630
Fanshaw	Tongass National Forest	48,248
Fidalgo-Gravina	Chugach National Forest	257,968
Harding	Tongass National Forest	174,349
Hoonah Sound	Tongass National Forest	79,764
Hyder	Tongass National Forest	121,723
Johnson Pass	Chugach National Forest	152,508
Juneau Urban	Tongass National Forest	101,581
Juneau-Skagway Icefield	Tongass National Forest	1,187,268
Karta	Tongass National Forest	52,117
Kenai Lake	Chugach National Forest	213,172
Kenai Mountains	Chugach National Forest	306,600
Lindenberg	Tongass National Forest	25,855
Mansfield Peninsula	Tongass National Forest	54,991
Middle Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	14,724
Nellie Juan	Chugach National Forest	713,697
North Baranof	Tongass National Forest	314,089
North Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	33,146
North Revilla	Tongass National Forest	215,430
Redoubt	Tongass National Forest	68,347
Resurrection	Chugach National Forest	224,615
Revilla	Tongass National Forest	29,298
Rhine	Tongass National Forest	23,010
Roaded Donut	Chugach National Forest	968
Sheridan Glacier	Chugach National Forest	224,683
Sitka Sound	Tongass National Forest	13,459
Sitka Urban	Tongass National Forest	112,003
Soda Bay	Tongass National Forest	78,091
South Kruzof	Tongass National Forest	55,193
Southeast Wrangell	Tongass National Forest	18,377
Taku-Snettisham	Tongass National Forest	664,928
Tenakee Ridge	Tongass National Forest	20,527
Twenty Mile	Chugach National Forest	198,775
Upper Situk	Tongass National Forest	16,789
Windham-Port Houghton	Tongass National Forest	161,952
Yakutat Forelands	Tongass National Forest	323,648

Arizona (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Goldfield	Tonto National Forest	15,257
Pinaleno	Coronado National Forest	130,920

California (7)

Area	Forest	Acres
Cucamonga A	Angeles National Forest	1,249
Fox Mountain	Los Padres National Forest	52,072
Glass Mountain	Inyo National Forest	52,867
Horse Mdw.	Inyo National Forest	5,687
Mt. Jackson	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	20,721
Timbered Crater	Lassen National Forest	4,096
Woolstaff	Sequoia National Forest	41,445

Colorado (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Dome Peak	Routt NF	35,716

Idaho (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear Creek	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	118,582
Hoodoo	Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest	153,868
Italian Peak	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	141,158

Montana (8)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bmss Ra 1485	Flathead National Forest	334,275
Bridger	Gallatin National Forest	45,059
Cube Iron - Silcox	Lolo National Forest	36,998
Lebeau RA 1507	Flathead National Forest	5,450
North Big Hole	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	52,227
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)	Bitterroot National Forest	114,953
West Big Hole	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	133,563
West Pioneer	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	248,631

Nevada (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bald Mtn.	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	41,598
Moriah - Silver Creek	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	1,582

North Dakota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Sheyenne	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	14,537

Oregon (7)

Area	Forest	Acres
Drake - Mcdowell	Fremont National Forest	5,767
Hellhole	Umatilla National Forest	65,679
Maiden Peak	Deschutes National Forest	26,432
Sky Lakes A	Winema National Forest	3,940
Tahkenitch	Siuslaw National Forest	5,799
Tenmile	Siuslaw National Forest	10,818
Woahink	Siuslaw National Forest	5,309

Pennsylvania (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Cornplanter	Allegheny National Forest	2,929
Tracy Ridge	Allegheny National Forest	9,034

South Dakota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Indian Creek	Buffalo Gap National Grassland	24,666

Texas (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Creek	National Forests in Texas	1,447

Utah (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Wellsville	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	1,717

Vermont (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bread Loaf	Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests	1,768

Virginia (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear Creek	Jefferson National Forest	18,274

Washington (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Willow Springs	Umatilla National Forest	10,414

Wyoming (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Middle Fork	Shoshone National Forest	51,772
Teton Corridor Trailheads	Bridger-Teton National Forest	286
West Slope Tetons	Targhee National Forest	47,448
Wilderness Study Area	Targhee National Forest	51,961

References (37)

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