Lesser Yellowlegs

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellowlegs sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 1,203 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 144th most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington?

September. In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Lesser Yellowlegs?

Between 8 and 11 am. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Yellowlegs sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Washington the best place to see a Lesser Yellowlegs?

31st of 60. Of the 60 cities where we can rate Lesser Yellowlegs sightings, Washington ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 20%), São Luís (Brazil, about 20%) and Cochabamba (Bolivia, about 20%).

Q: Where does the Lesser Yellowlegs sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Lesser Yellowlegs is recorded against all the birds logged in Washington (1,203 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.

Tringa flavipes

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCNTVUVulnerableENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
GenusTringa (Shanks, Tattlers, and Allies)
SpeciesTringa flavipes (Lesser Yellowlegs)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Washington

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

1,203 Verified sightings at Washington

7,152 In all 55 parks From 2019 to 2026

September Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lesser Yellowlegs

The lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) is a medium-sized shorebird. It breeds in the boreal forest region of North America, and winters from the south of North America, to the far south of South America. The lesser yellowlegs was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Scolopax and coined the binomial name Scolopax flavipes. Gmelin based his description on the "yellow shanks" seen in the province of New York in autumn that had been described in 1785 by both the English ornithologist John Latham and the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. The lesser yellowlegs is now placed in the genus Tringa that was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. The name Tringa is the Neo-Latin word 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 epithet flavipes combines the Latin flavus meaning "yellow" with pes meaning "foot". The species is... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:06

United States · 2023

Alarm call0:09

United States · 2022

Recording0:17

Chile · 2023

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 2 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
2	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
3	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
4	Katmai National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
5	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~20%
6	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~20%
7	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
8	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
9	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
10	Kluane National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
11	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
12	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
13	Isla del Coco National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
14	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
15	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~10%
16	Lauca National Park	🇨🇱 Chile	~10%
17	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
18	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
19	Denali National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
20	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
21	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
22	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
23	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
24	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
25	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
26	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
27	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
28	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
29	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
30	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
31	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
32	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
33	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
34	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
35	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
36	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
37	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
38	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
39	Los Haitises National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	<5%
40	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
41	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
42	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
43	Badlands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
44	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
45	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
46	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
47	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
48	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
49	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
50	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
51	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
52	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
53	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
54	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
55	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Anchorage	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
2	São Luís	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
3	Cochabamba	🇧🇴 Bolivia	~20%
4	Campinas	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
5	Santa Cruz de la Sierra	🇧🇴 Bolivia	~10%
6	Panama City	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
7	León	🇲🇽 México	~10%
8	Lima	🇵🇪 Peru	~10%
9	Rosario	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
10	Fortaleza	🇧🇷 Brazil	~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Natura Artis Magistra	🇳🇱 Netherlands	In captivity
2	Montreal Biodome	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity

Closest Relatives at Washington

Tringa solitaria

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tringa melanoleuca

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tringa semipalmata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Phalaropus fulicarius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Actitis macularius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Phalaropus lobatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris minutilla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Gallinago delicata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris melanotos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris pusilla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Scolopax minor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Calidris fuscicollis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellowlegs sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 1,203 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 144th most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington?

September

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Yellowlegs?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Yellowlegs 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 Washington the best place to see a Lesser Yellowlegs?

31st of 60

Of the 60 cities where we can rate Lesser Yellowlegs sightings, Washington ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 20%), São Luís (Brazil, about 20%) and Cochabamba (Bolivia, about 20%).

Where does the Lesser Yellowlegs sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Yellowlegs is recorded against all the birds logged in Washington (1,203 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.

← Back to Washington

Lesser Yellowlegs

About the Lesser Yellowlegs

Sounds

Recent sightings of Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Washington

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Willet

Red Phalarope

Spotted Sandpiper

Red-necked Phalarope

Least Sandpiper

Wilson's Snipe

Pectoral Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

American Woodcock

White-rumped Sandpiper

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington?

When is the best time to see a Lesser Yellowlegs in Washington?

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Yellowlegs?

Is Washington the best place to see a Lesser Yellowlegs?

Where does the Lesser Yellowlegs sighting chance come from?