REDSHANK, the name of a bird, Tringa totanus, so called from the colour of its long legs. In suitable localities it is abund ant throughout the greater part of Europe and Asia, retiring southward for the winter, though a considerable number remain along the coasts of some of the more northern countries. The body of the redshank is as big as a snipe's, but its longer neck, wings and legs make it appear larger. Above, the general colour is greyish-drab, freckled with black, except the lower part of the back and a conspicuous band on each wing, which are white, while the flight-quills are black. The bird nests in inland localities as well as by the sea. The males in spring have a beautiful song flight, rising and falling with quivering wings, and a striking court ship on the ground. They are very pugnacious, fights often contin uing for over an hour. The redshank is very wary, and is disliked by shore gunners for giving the alarm to other species. The nest is
generally concealed in a tuft of rushes or grass in the swamp whence the bird gets its sustenance, and contains four eggs of a warmly tinted brown with blackish spots or blotches.
The black, dusky or spotted redshank (T. erythropus) is a larger and less common bird, and in the greater part of Europe it only occurs on its passage to or from its breeding-grounds, which are south of the Arctic circle. The spot chosen for the nest is nearly always in forests and at some distance from water. In breeding-dress the head, neck, shoulders and lower parts are black, the back and rump white, while the legs become crimson. At other times of the year the plumage is similar to that of the common redshank and the legs are of the same light orange-red.