General

Lesser Yellowlegs: Large sandpiper with gray and black mottled upperparts, white underparts and streaked upper breast and sides. Bill is straight and uniformly dark gray. White lower rump and dark-barred tail are visible in flight. Legs are long and yellow. Sexes are similar. Winter adult and juvenile are paler.

Range and Habitat

Lesser Yellowlegs: Breeds from western Alaska and Canada east to western Quebec. Spends winters on coasts from southern California and Virginia southward, and along the Gulf coast. Preferred habitats include coastal mudflats, pans and lagoons, inland lakes, ponds, rivers, sewage works, and flooded grasslands.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tew"

Interesting Facts

 While the Lesser Yellowlegs is similar in appearance to the Greater Yellowlegs, they are not closely related.

 Both the male and female provide parental care to the young, but the female tends to leave the breeding area before the chicks can fly, thus leaving the male to defend the young until fledging.

 When foraging, these birds are likely to scythe their bills back and forth in the water stirring up prey.

 A group of yellowlegs are collectively known as an "incontinence" of yellowlegs.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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