About Tringa brevipes (Vieillot, 1816)
The grey-tailed tattler, with the scientific name Tringa brevipes (Vieillot, 1816), is closely related to its North American counterpart, the wandering tattler (T. incana), and is difficult to distinguish from that species. Among all species in the genus Tringa, both tattlers are unique in having unpatterned, greyish wings and back. In breeding plumage, both also have a scaly breast pattern that extends more or less onto the belly, and a rather prominent supercilium. These birds resemble common redshanks in shape and size. Their upper parts, underwings, face and neck are grey, and their belly is white. They have short yellowish legs, and a bill with a pale base and dark tip. They have a weak supercilium. They are very similar to the wandering tattler, and differentiation depends on fine details such as the length of the nasal groove and scaling on the tarsus. The clearest distinguishing feature is the call: the grey-tailed tattler has a disyllabic whistle, while the wandering tattler has a rippling trill.
