Shanks

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For other meanings, see Shanks (disambiguation)

{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Shanks | image = Redshank172.JPG | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Common Redshank | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Charadriiformes | familia = Scolopacidae | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = Tringa
Xenus
Actitis
Heterosceles
Catoptrophorus }} The shanks are wading bird species in a number of genera characterised by a medium length bill and long, often brightly coloured legs. They chase visible prey, rather than probing like most waders.

These species are more associated with temperate regions for breeding than the rest of this largely arctic family. They are more often found in fresh water environments than many waders.

Unusually for waders, some of this group, notably Green Sandpiper, nest in trees, using the old nests of other birds, usually thrushes.

A few other species in other small genera are closely related to the shanks, including the two tattlers and the four other very distinctive species.

Species are:

• Family: Scolopacidae (part)
  • Tringa
    • Spotted Redshank, Tringa erythropus
    • Common Redshank, Tringa totanus
    • Marsh Sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis
    • Common Greenshank, Tringa nebularia
    • Spotted Greenshank, Tringa guttifer
    • Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca
    • Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes
    • Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus
    • Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria
    • Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola
  • Xenus
    • Terek Sandpiper, Xenus cinereus
  • Actitis
    • Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos
    • Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia
  • Heterosceles
    • Grey-tailed Tattler, Heteroscelus brevipes
    • Wandering Tattler, Heteroscelus incanus
  • Catoptrophorus
    • Willet, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus

DNA studies conducted at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada by Sergio Pereira and Allan Baker and published in the ornithological journal The Condor in 2005 have shown that Catoptrophorus and Heterosceles are closer related to some Tringa species than other Tringa, and thus these genera should be merged in Tringa.