Redshanks favour wet habitats such as salt marshes, flood meadows and wet grassland to breed in. In winter they move on to coastal areas and resident numbers are swelled by birds from Iceland.
As the name suggests, Redshanks have distinctive long orange-red legs. The bill is a medium length and of a similar colour to the legs. The brown back and pale belly are speckled all year round, however the spots become more defined during the summer.
Redshanks were first recorded in medieval times, however fossil records have been found dating back 10-120,000 years ago. There are various local names for the species, including ‘Watery Pleep’ and ‘Ebb Cock’.
