A large wader that walks wetlands on long legs, moving between breeding and wintering areas.
In summer its breast and belly are orange-brown; in winter they are greyer brown. The wings have black-and-white stripes, and females are larger with longer bills than males.
It often uses freshwater edges, soft muddy shores and wet grassland. Many birds wintering in Britain and Ireland breed in Iceland, with prominent spring and autumn passage.
In Britain the usual clutch is four eggs, incubated by both sexes for 22–24 days. Chicks are downy and fledge after 25–30 days.
In estuaries it probes for marine worms, shellfish and crabs. In grassland it eats earthworms, fly larvae and other insects.
It has a black tail, white rump and white underwings, with long black legs and a long straight bill.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.