Greater Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs has surged: up 718% on the route-weighted index since 1982.
About the Greater Yellowlegs
The Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) is a North American member of the Sandpipers & Allies (Scolopacidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the shorebirds.
- Size
- 5–26 in long (13–66 cm) — a probing shorebird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Shorelines, mudflats, beaches, flooded fields and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates probed or picked from mud, sand and shallow water.
- Range
- Recorded on 67 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 2 states, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Scolopacidae · Shorebirds
Notable Greater Yellowlegs Trends
No notable trend signals for Greater Yellowlegs. See the full index history below.
Greater Yellowlegs Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Greater Yellowlegs is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.01–0.05). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±67.2%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.05 |
| 2026 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.05 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.05 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.05 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.05 |
Where the Greater Yellowlegs Is Detected
BBS routes recording Greater Yellowlegs, sized by most recent count.
Greater Yellowlegs Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +32% | 1982 | 66 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Greater Yellowlegs Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +71% | 1986 | 12 |
| BCR 4 | -67% | 1982 | 30 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +24% | 1985 | 24 |
Greater Yellowlegs Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 718% since 1982. Many shorebirds have declined steeply, reflecting pressure on the coastal and wetland stopovers they depend on.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.