Lesser Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs has surged: up 174% on the route-weighted index since 1982.
About the Lesser Yellowlegs
The Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 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 83 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Scolopacidae · Shorebirds
Notable Lesser Yellowlegs Trends
No notable trend signals for Lesser Yellowlegs. See the full index history below.
Lesser Yellowlegs Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Lesser Yellowlegs is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.00–0.08). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±68.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2026 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
Where the Lesser Yellowlegs Is Detected
BBS routes recording Lesser Yellowlegs, sized by most recent count.
Lesser Yellowlegs Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -48% | 1982 | 83 |
Lesser Yellowlegs Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -80% | 1995 | 8 |
| BCR 3 | -39% | 1995 | 3 |
| BCR 4 | -21% | 1982 | 61 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -86% | 1985 | 11 |
Lesser Yellowlegs Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 174% 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.