Common Redshank

Common Redshank

Tringa totanus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Helsinki

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

1,295 Verified sightings at Helsinki
12,314 In all 30 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Redshank

The common redshank or simply redshank (Tringa totanus) is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae. The common redshank was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Scolopax totanus. It is now placed with twelve other species in the genus Tringa that Linnaeus had introduced in 1758. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi in 1603 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific totanus is from Tótano, the Italian name for this bird.

Six subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:00

China · 2026

© Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇 · XC1174883 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:39

Ireland · 2026

© Molly Bell · XC1135762 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:32

Russian Federation · 2024

© Albert Lastukhin · XC905831 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
2 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~50%
3 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
4 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~40%
5 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
6 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~30%
7 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
8 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
9 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
10 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
11 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~30%
12 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
13 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
14 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
15 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
16 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
17 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
~10%
18 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
19 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
20 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
21 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
22 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
23 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
24 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
25 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
26 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
27 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
28 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
29 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
30 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Naha 🇯🇵 Japan
~50%
2 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~50%
3 Manama 🇧🇭 Bahrain
~40%
4 Kuwait City 🇰🇼 Kuwait
~30%
5 Izmir 🇹🇷 Turkey
~30%
6 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~30%
7 Dublin 🇮🇪 Ireland
~20%
8 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~20%
9 Agra 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Jeddah 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Natura Artis Magistra 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
2 Dresden Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
3 Paris Zoological Park 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
5 Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée 🇫🇷 France In captivity
6 Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix 🇫🇷 France In captivity
7 Eekholt Wildlife Park 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
8 Slimbridge Wetland Centre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
9 hipopotamiarnia i akwarium morskie warszawskiego ZOO 🇵🇱 Poland In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Redshank in Helsinki?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Redshank sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 1,295 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 49th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Redshank in Helsinki?

April to June

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Redshank in Helsinki on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Common Redshank?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Redshank sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Helsinki the best place to see a Common Redshank?

8th of 74

Of the 74 cities where we can rate Common Redshank sightings, Helsinki ranks 8th at about 20%. The best odds are in Naha (Japan, about 50%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 50%) and Manama (Bahrain, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Common Redshank live in Helsinki?

Same genus: Tringa

The closest relatives of the Common Redshank that you can see in Helsinki (genus Tringa, Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies) are Wood Sandpiper (about 20%), Common Greenshank (about 10%) and Spotted Redshank (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Redshank sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Redshank is recorded against all the birds logged in Helsinki (1,295 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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