Common Redshank

1. Bright orange-red legs and a straight bill with a reddish base and black tip

2. Marbled brown plumage with dark streaks in breeding season; plainer grey-brown in non-breeding season

3. Prominent white rump and trailing edge to wings visible in flight

Common Redshanks feed primarily on small invertebrates such as insects, worms, mollusks, and crustaceans, using a mix of probing and picking techniques. They are active both day and night, adjusting their foraging to tides and predation risk. Breeding occurs across much of Eurasia, where they nest in wetlands and lay 3–5 eggs in simple ground scrapes. Chicks are precocial, able to walk and feed themselves soon after hatching, but remain under parental protection until fledging. Outside the breeding season, redshanks are highly migratory, with some individuals traveling thousands of kilometers to reach wintering grounds in Africa, South Asia, and occasionally Australia.

In Australia, the Common Redshank is a rare but regular visitor, mostly found along the coasts of Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, and occasionally Victoria and Queensland. Preferred habitats include coastal mudflats, estuaries, saltmarshes, mangroves, and freshwater wetlands near the coast. They are most often seen foraging at dawn and dusk, probing and picking at the mud with their bills. Their nervous and alert behaviour often makes them among the first birds to take flight when disturbed, accompanied by a loud, distinctive call.