Nordmann's Greenshank (Tringa guttifer)

Arriving at northern Sakhalin, Russia, in the last ten days of May, Nordmann's greenshanks display and breed until July. Loose clusters of three to ten pairs build nests of larch twigs and lichens, on wind-bent larch trunks or thick branches in sparsely wooded swamps. Four eggs are laid in the nest, which is well concealed from above by the tree canopy. Both the male and female contribute to incubation, and the eggs hatch between the last week of June and mid July. Once hatched, the adults lead the chicks to coastal meadows where the broods stay near shallow ponds obscured by dense vegetation. They all feed on sticklebacks, terrestrial invertebrates, small crustaceans, molluscs, and worms. Adults leave on the return migration in late July and early August, but juveniles remain longer, leaving in early September. At the wintering grounds, they consume small fish, crustaceans, larvae, and small molluscs, and have a preference for crabs. They feed by probing into mud, catching prey from the water surface, running after crabs and plunging the head into deeper water (6).

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