SWENNEN C (1971) The food of the Greenshank Tringa nebularia during its stay in the Dutch Waddenzee-area. LIMOSA 44 (3): 71-83.

The Greenshank occurs in the Wadden-area only during migration. Only incidental observations are known of the winter-months and also in the second decade of June the species is practically absent. During autumn-migration an estimated 5,000-10,000 Greenshanks stay in the Dutch Wadden-area; a part of the birds moult here. In spring the number is much smaller. The birds forage principally on the muds of the Waddenzee. A negligible number forages in pools and ditches in the dunes and the polders. On the sandy beaches along the shore of the North Sea the species is not observed. Most of the prey is caught from water often after a short chase. Soft water-logged muds are probed to a depth corresponding to the length of the bill. Sometimes on dry mud flats sea weeds which have drifted ashore, are picked up and thrown aside after which the uncovered prey is consumed. It appears from pellets that the most important prey species are: Potamoschistus microps (goby), Crangon crangon (shrimp), Carcinus maenas (shore crab) and N ereis diversicolor (polychaet). The first 3 species withdraw to deeper water during the winter becoming inaccessable to Greenshank which may hibernate. The Redshank (Tringa totanus) on the contrary mainly feeds on prey which is present on the flats throughout the year. n is possible to determine on the basis of the sizes of the otoliths, mandibulae and jaws found in the pellets the number and measurements rather exactly and thus the total weight of the prey that was eaten. n has been calculated that the number of pellets will be about 5 a day; as the exact number could not be determined it is, however, impossible to estimate the amounts of food consumed per day. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

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