Mid-sized wader bird (approx 21 cm or 8.5 in). Stylized silhouette and yellowish, relatively longer legs than those of other sandpipers. Dark upperparts with white flecks. Whitish head, neck and breast, with a dark barring. White underparts. Head with a very striking whitish eyebrow.
Wetlands
Species linked to marshes and shallow freshwater lagoons, especially inland, but also coastal and tidal. Its breeding area includes tundra habitats with coniferous forests.
Bird that can be watched only during its migratory passage in the province. Its breeding areas are in Asia, from the Baltic to Mongolia. One annual laying in May of 3 to 4 eggs. This wader feeds on insects and invertebrates caught on the ground.
In the province of Malaga the Wood Sandpiper is a sparse bird, although it can be observed almost in any humid zone. It usually avoids the coastline in favour of freshwater wetlands or river courses. It has been watched in the lower section of the Guadalhorce River and its mouth, the Vélez river, the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon or the Cancelada reservoir (Estepona).
The name of this bird comes from its habit of using nests of other species located in trees and shrubs to breed. Normally sandpipers place their nests on the ground. This particular species does just the opposite.
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