The greater yellowlegs is a medium-sized wading bird that is about 11-14 inches (27.9-35.6 cm) in length with a wingspan of around 23.6 inches (60 cm).
It has very long yellow legs and a long bill that is slightly turned up at the end. Its tail is marked with black bars. Its back and wing are streaked grayish-brown.
Its face, neck, chest, and belly are white with brown and gray speckles.
The greater yellowlegs breeds in the tundra and marshy areas. During migration and in the winter, it is found on lakeshores and tidal mudflats.
The greater yellowlegs wades through the shallow water with its long legs, sweeps its head back and forth, and skims up small fish and aquatic animals in its bill.
It also runs after fish and stabs them with its long, pointed bill. It swallows its prey whole. Sometimes it has to reposition a fish a couple of times before it can swallow it.
It feeds during the day and the night.
The male greater yellowlegs tries to attract a mate by running around the female in circles with his wings raised, sometimes calling loudly.
The female lays about four eggs in a shallow depression in the ground, usually in a damp, open area. The eggs hatch after about 23 days. The chicks are precocial and can walk and find food soon after hatching, but both parents help protect them. The chicks fledge (grow their flight feathers and are ready to fly) in about 18-20 days.
The greater yellowlegs has a lifespan of 5-11 years.
The greater yellowlegs’ call is a series of musical whistles. It is a very noisy bird. It often runs in shallow water and bobs its head up and down when it spots a potential predator.
It has a high-stepping walk and sometimes runs with its neck stretched out. It also swims on the water from time to time to get to shallow water or to escape from a predator.
The greater yellowlegs is more solitary than most shorebirds, but it does migrate in groups.
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The greater yellowlegs does not breed in New Hampshire, but it can be seen in the state during migration.
The greater yellowlegs breeds from south-central Alaska east to Newfoundland.
It winters on the Pacific coast from Washington south, on the Atlantic coast from Virginia south, and along the Gulf Coast.
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