Lesser Yellowlegs

The lesser yellowlegs is a medium-sized shorebird native to North America, measuring 23 to 25 centimeters long with a 59 to 64 centimeter wingspan and bright yellow legs. It breeds in clearings near ponds in the boreal forest from Alaska to Quebec, between roughly 51 and 69 degrees north latitude, and winters across Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Breeding birds show mottled gray brown, black and white upperparts with white underparts streaked brown on the breast and neck, and a short dark bill about the length of the head. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with hunting during migration, loss of mudflat and mangrove habitat, and wetland conversion to agriculture named as threats.