This migrant breeds in Siberia and moves south, probing mud and rocks for food at estuaries and tidal flats.
In breeding plumage, it has a grey back and narrow grey bars on the breast and flanks. In non-breeding plumage, the markings on the underparts are much less visible.
Gray-tailed Tattlers spend the non-breeding season in Australia or New Zealand and migrate to breeding areas in northeastern China and Siberia. A 2017 study compared tracking records for six shorebird species along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, examining migration speed, stopover sites, distance, and the length of travel steps before and after breeding.
Tattler tracking records showed a post-breeding route about 10% shorter than the pre-breeding route, crossing the Pacific on a more direct, easterly path. During pre-breeding migration, records also showed routes through more westerly islands such as the Philippines. The birds used different routes and stopover patterns across the two seasonal journeys.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The flyway study identifies the Yellow Sea and other staging areas as important for shorebirds preparing to reach breeding grounds and describes deterioration and loss of coastal habitat as a conservation concern. Gray-tailed Tattler tracking records link southern wintering areas with breeding areas in northeast Asia and show different routes before and after breeding.