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Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

The Marsh Sandpiper is a slender migratory wader that breeds in marshes of the Eurasian steppes and uses wetlands during migration and the non-breeding season. In Australia, wetland records include Torres Strait, and suitable shallow, muddy wetlands on development sites may be used for feeding or temporary refuge. It is listed as Endangered in Victoria and is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied project information.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Breeding season

The Australian timing of Marsh Sandpiper use is not defined in the supplied documents. The seasonal pattern below is based on the documented movement pattern for the species in southern Africa and the breeding cycle in the Russian steppes, so it should be treated as a guide for survey planning rather than an Australian population calendar.

Month order is January to December. The documented seasonal model is from southern Africa, while the breeding timing is from the Russian steppes. Neither source provides a complete Australian seasonal calendar.

  • Breeding: Breeding in the Russian steppes begins in April. The supplied documents do not give the end of the breeding season.
  • Young: Young-bird timing and dependence period are not provided. The marked period is an indicative extension from the documented April breeding start and must not be treated as an Australian breeding record.
  • Movement and migration: In the documented southern African pattern, departure starts in February to March, there are few records from April to August, and arrival starts in September. The species is included in Australia's migratory shorebird plan, but Australian presence dates are not supplied.
  • Wetland presence in Australia: The supplied records confirm the species as a migratory shorebird and include a Torres Strait record, but do not define months of presence across Australia. Survey local wetlands during migration periods and whenever suitable birds are reported.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is when migratory birds are present at wetlands, particularly during arrival and departure periods. Confirm local timing through targeted surveys before clearing or high-disturbance works.

Identification

The Marsh Sandpiper is a small, delicate-looking Tringa wader associated mainly with shallow wetlands. Identification is most difficult when it occurs with the similar Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper.

It has proportionately long legs, a slim and straight bill, and a slender neck and head. These features give it a more delicate appearance than the Common Greenshank.

Identification: Similar species

The Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank are easily confused. Look for the Marsh Sandpiper's finer, straighter bill, longer-looking legs and slimmer head and neck. The species occurs alongside Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper in wetland habitats.

Identification: Calls and field signs

When flushed, it gives a solitary soft 'tewk' or a fast 'tew-tew-tew' call. The call is softer and faster than the similar 'tjuu-tjuu-tjuu' call of the Common Greenshank.

  • No species-specific information on body measurements, weight, sex differences, tracks, scats, nests or other field signs is provided in the supplied documents.
  • For field identification, record the bird's bill shape, leg length, body proportions, call, wetland type and behaviour, and obtain clear photographs where possible.

Distribution: Australian records

The Marsh Sandpiper has a broad Eurasian breeding range and is a migratory visitor to parts of Africa, India, south-eastern Asia and Australia. The supplied documents do not provide a complete Australian state or bioregion distribution, so absence from a project area should not be inferred from the available records.

The species is included in the Australian Government list of migratory shorebirds. The supplied regional dataset records it in Torres Strait, Queensland, with the most recent record in 1998.

Known supplied Australian region: Torres Strait, Queensland

Most recent supplied regional record: 1998

Proportion of sampled range in Torres Strait region: Less than 1 percent

  • The Torres Strait record represents less than 1 percent of the sampled range in that region.
  • The supplied documents do not identify Australian strongholds, breeding subpopulations or a complete state-by-state distribution.

Distribution: Global range and population information

The species breeds mainly in marshes on the Eurasian steppes, extending into the southern boreal zone from the Volga River to Lake Baikal. Most birds migrate to Africa south of the Sahara or to India, while relatively few migrate to south-eastern Asia or Australia.

  • Population sizes on both breeding and non-breeding grounds are poorly known.
  • No population estimate or trend for the Australian population is provided in the supplied documents.

Habitat: Wetland habitat

Marsh Sandpipers use a range of wetland types, with a strong association with shallow water and muddy substrates. The supplied documents do not provide Australian vegetation-community, elevation or climate limits.

The species occurs mainly in freshwater wetlands. It also uses saltworks, coastal lagoons and tidal estuaries, although it rarely occurs on exposed coastal shorelines.

  • Suitable habitat includes shallow wetland margins with open muddy substrate.
  • Wetlands along coastal plains may be used even where the birds are not feeding on the shoreline itself.
  • Avoid assuming that a wetland is unsuitable because it is artificial or saline, as saltworks and coastal lagoons are also recorded habitat types.

Habitat: Site features

The documented habitat features are shallow water, mud and open wetland margins. No species-specific elevation range, vegetation structure, water-depth measurements or Australian bioregion preferences are provided.

  • Map shallow muddy margins, wet depressions, lagoons, estuarine edges and artificial wetlands before clearing or earthworks.
  • Retain wetland hydrology and avoid isolating shallow feeding areas from adjacent wetland habitat.
  • Treat wetland habitat as potentially suitable during migration even where no Marsh Sandpiper has previously been recorded.

Foraging habitat: Foraging method

The Marsh Sandpiper feeds by wading in shallow water over mud and less often on exposed mud. The supplied documents do not identify its prey, feeding rate or foraging-range distance.

It commonly wades through shallow water over a muddy substrate. It feeds less often on exposed mud and is associated with open wetland edges rather than dry terrestrial ground.

  • Survey shallow muddy margins, wetland shallows, exposed mud and water edges during suitable daylight conditions.
  • Record water depth, mud availability, salinity and disturbance when assessing potential feeding habitat.
  • Check adjacent wetland sections because birds may move between shallow water and exposed mud as water levels change.

Foraging habitat: Food information gaps

The supplied documents do not state the Marsh Sandpiper's prey, diet composition, feeding territory size or foraging distance. No food plants are identified, and plant food should not be assumed for this species.

  • Do not use vegetation presence alone to assess foraging value. Focus on shallow water, exposed mud and wetland hydrology.
  • If birds are present, document feeding locations and the wetland conditions at the time of observation.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

The Marsh Sandpiper breeds mainly in marshes on the Eurasian steppes, not in the Australian habitats described in the supplied records. The available documents do not provide clutch size, incubation period, age at maturity or lifespan.

Breeding occurs mainly in marshes on the Eurasian steppes, with the breeding distribution extending into the southern boreal zone. Breeding in the Russian steppes begins in April according to the supplied account.

  • In Australia, treat the species primarily as a migratory wetland visitor based on the supplied information.
  • Protect suitable wetland habitat during migration because birds may be present outside the breeding range.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

No nest description, clutch size, incubation period, fledging period, age at maturity or lifespan is provided in the supplied documents.

Breeding season: Begins in April in the Russian steppes, based on the supplied account

Clutch size: Not provided

Incubation: Not provided

Age at maturity: Not provided

Lifespan: Not provided

  • Do not infer that a Marsh Sandpiper record in Australia represents local breeding.
  • Any suspected breeding record should be documented with location, behaviour, photographs and repeated observations, and referred to the relevant wildlife authority.

Sheltering habitat: Wetland refuge areas

The supplied documents describe feeding habitat and wetland use but do not identify specific roost structures, nest sites, cover types or refuge dimensions. Marsh Sandpipers may therefore be overlooked when they are not feeding in the open shallows.

The species is associated with freshwater wetlands, coastal lagoons, saltworks and tidal estuaries. The supplied information does not specify whether particular reedbeds, islands, banks or vegetation types are preferred for roosting.

  • Inspect shallow wetland margins, exposed mud and quiet areas adjoining feeding habitat for resting birds.
  • Include wetland edges and nearby open mud in pre-clearing searches, rather than limiting inspections to dense vegetation.
  • Avoid disturbing birds repeatedly from small wetland patches, especially where alternative shallow habitat is limited.

Sheltering habitat: Information gaps

No measurements are provided for roost size, cover height, refuge area, nest height, burrow depth or distance from water.

  • Record the location and approximate extent of any observed roost or resting area during site surveys.
  • Retain hydrological connection between shallow feeding areas and nearby undisturbed wetland margins where practicable.

Threats: Documented threats

The clearest documented threat is wetland loss and degradation through drainage and agricultural intensification. On Australian development sites, activities that remove shallow muddy habitat or alter wetland water levels may reduce habitat available to this migratory wader.

The breeding distribution in Europe has contracted eastwards because of agricultural intensification and associated wetland drainage. This identifies drainage and loss of wetland function as relevant threats to the species.

  • Wetland drainage can remove shallow feeding habitat and interrupt wetland hydrology.
  • Agricultural intensification can reduce the availability and quality of marsh habitat.

Threats: Development risks

Clearing, filling, excavation, dewatering and changes to inflows or outflows can remove shallow muddy margins used for feeding. Repeated vehicle, machinery and human disturbance can flush birds from small wetland areas, although the supplied documents do not quantify disturbance distances or response thresholds.

  • Complete wetland and wetland-margin surveys before clearing, including artificial wetlands, lagoons, saltworks and estuarine margins.
  • Avoid clearing or filling shallow muddy habitat where practicable, and maintain water levels and hydrological connections.
  • Control sediment, contaminated runoff and construction access around wetlands.
  • Schedule high-disturbance works outside periods when Marsh Sandpipers are present, where surveys establish local use.
  • Manage lighting, noise and night works near wetland roost or feeding areas where practicable.
  • The supplied documents do not provide species-specific evidence on roads, fragmentation, fire, predators or disease. Assess these risks through the site's wetland condition, access routes and fauna survey results rather than assuming they are absent.

Survey methodology: 1. Daytime wetland searches

The Marsh Sandpiper is a migratory wader of freshwater wetlands, saltworks, coastal lagoons and tidal estuaries. It commonly feeds by wading in shallow water over mud, so surveys should focus on open wetland margins and shallow feeding areas rather than terrestrial habitats.

Survey shallow water, exposed mud, muddy wetland margins, saltworks, coastal lagoons and tidal estuaries during daylight.

Search from the wetland edge using a telescope or binoculars, and scan birds standing in shallow water or feeding over mud.

Allow for confusion with the Common Greenshank, which has a similar appearance and may occur in the same habitat; check the Marsh Sandpiper's proportionately longer legs, slimmer straighter bill, and more slender neck and head.

Record all observations, including birds flying from the site, because the species may give a solitary ‘tewk’ or a faster, softer ‘tew-tew-tew’ call when flushed.

Primary habitat: Freshwater wetlands, saltworks, coastal lagoons and tidal estuaries

Foraging substrate: Shallow water over mud and exposed mud

Similar species: Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper

Survey methodology: 2. Timing and seasonal coverage

Time surveys to the period when migratory shorebirds are likely to use the site, and check local records before setting the survey window.

Use more than one survey visit where wetland conditions, water levels or visibility vary, because the species can use a range of wetland types and may be absent from a site on a particular day.

Treat April to August as a period when records may be fewer in the southern African example, not as an Australian absence period; the supplied documents do not provide an Australian survey calendar for this species.

Documented seasonal pattern: In southern Africa, departure starts in February to March, few birds overwinter from April to August, and arrival starts in September

Australian survey effort: No species-specific Australian effort, transect length or visit frequency is provided in the supplied documents

Survey methodology: 3. Coverage and detection records

Map and inspect every wetland, shallow margin, mudflat and tidal or saline wetland within the disturbance footprint and any connected area that may be used for feeding or roosting.

Record the date, start and finish time, weather, water level, visibility, survey route, area searched, observer names, equipment, species identification features, number of birds and behaviour.

Record whether birds were feeding, roosting, flying over, flushed or calling, and map the locations of observations and likely feeding areas.

Do not rely on a single absence result where suitable shallow water and muddy substrate remain available.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a documented, repeatable daytime search of all suitable wetland habitat before clearing or construction, with additional visits where water levels, access or visibility change.
  • Set the final number, timing and duration of visits through the project fauna survey plan and relevant state guidance, because the supplied documents do not specify a Marsh Sandpiper effort standard.
  • Have an experienced observer confirm records where the bird could be confused with a Common Greenshank or Wood Sandpiper.
  • Submit verified records and survey metadata to the relevant state wildlife database and report any suspected impact through the project's approval and fauna management process.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the work around the species' use of shallow wetland habitat. Avoid removing or isolating wetland edges, muddy feeding areas and connected wetland habitat where practicable.

  • Retain freshwater wetlands, saltworks, coastal lagoons, tidal estuaries, shallow water and exposed muddy margins within and beside the work area.
  • Avoid filling, draining, sedimentating or hardening shallow feeding areas and wetland edges.
  • Retain links between wetlands and nearby feeding or roosting areas so birds can move through the site without crossing active work zones.
  • Keep machinery, stockpiles, lighting, access tracks and dirty water out of retained wetland habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

National status in the supplied register: National EPBC Act marine and migratory listing

State status supplied for this profile: Victoria, Endangered

  • Check the current national and state listing before works start, including whether the proposed action requires an EPBC Act assessment or referral and whether state permits or approvals apply.
  • Confirm the species' migratory status and any relevant international migratory bird agreements in the approval review.
  • Stage works so that undisturbed wetland habitat remains available while other areas are being constructed.
  • Include wetland protection, fauna observation, stop-work and reporting procedures in the fauna management plan.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete the planned wetland search immediately before disturbance and update it if water levels or the work footprint changes.
  • Mark retained wetland margins, shallow feeding areas, mudflats, access routes and no-go areas on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can keep machinery, vehicles, sediment and people out of retained wetland habitat without blocking bird movement.
  • Brief machinery operators and spotter catchers on the species' identification features, habitat and stop-work procedure.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

The fauna spotter catcher should protect wetland habitat first and manage any bird encounter without causing unnecessary flushing or pursuit. Work controls should keep machinery and contaminated water away from retained feeding areas.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, sediment controls, wetland buffers and access routes before work begins each day.
  • Keep machinery, vehicles, spoil, fuels, concrete washout and waste outside retained wetland habitat and muddy feeding margins.
  • Use the spotter catcher's agreed communication method with operators so machinery can stop immediately when a bird enters the work area.
  • Avoid driving birds repeatedly from the site, especially into roads, active machinery or unsuitable habitat.

During habitat disturbance: If a Marsh Sandpiper is found

  • Stop the affected activity if the bird is within the disturbance area or is being repeatedly flushed by the work.
  • Allow the bird to leave of its own accord where it can move safely to nearby retained wetland habitat.
  • Do not catch, handle or relocate the bird unless the person is authorised under the project approval and relevant wildlife law and handling is necessary for its safety.
  • If relocation is authorised, move the bird only to nearby suitable retained wetland habitat selected in the fauna management plan, with shallow water or muddy feeding habitat where available.
  • Keep people and machinery back while the bird settles, and do not chase it for identification or photography.

During habitat disturbance: Injury, stop-work and records

  • Stop work and contact the project ecologist or fauna manager if the bird is injured, trapped, unable to fly, repeatedly displaced, or at risk from machinery or vehicles.
  • Have an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian assess injured birds; do not provide food, water or treatment unless directed by that professional.
  • Record the location, time, activity, habitat, identification features, behaviour, photographs where appropriate, action taken and outcome for every encounter.
  • Escalate repeated sightings, roosting or feeding in the work area, mortality, or damage to retained wetland habitat to the project environmental officer before work resumes.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-work checks should confirm that wetland habitat remains usable and that construction has not created new barriers, sediment impacts or repeated disturbance.

  • Inspect retained wetlands, shallow margins, exposed mud and access controls after clearing and after major rainfall or earthworks.
  • Check for birds using retained habitat, signs of sediment deposition, altered water levels, blocked movement routes, fencing failures and new lighting impacts.
  • Remove temporary materials and repair wetland buffers, sediment controls and exclusion fencing promptly.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Continue daytime wetland observations for the period required by the approval or fauna management plan, using the same locations and recording method as the pre-work survey.
  • Compare bird presence, feeding behaviour, wetland condition and disturbance with the pre-work records.
  • Report sightings, injuries, deaths, habitat damage, non-compliance and corrective actions to the project environmental officer and relevant regulator where required.
  • Maintain all records and submit verified species records to the relevant state wildlife database.

After habitat disturbance: Residual impacts

  • Assess any unavoidable loss or degradation of wetland, shallow mud or connected feeding habitat against the approval conditions.
  • Implement any required offset, compensatory habitat or rehabilitation measure specified by the EPBC Act or state approval.
  • Do not treat an absence of birds during one post-work visit as evidence that impacts have ceased.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland restoration

Rehabilitation should recreate the shallow wetland conditions used for feeding and retain safe movement between wetland areas. The supplied documents do not identify plant species, nest-box requirements or a Marsh Sandpiper-specific restoration design.

  • Reinstate shallow wetland edges, open muddy margins and gently varying water depths where these features were disturbed.
  • Design drainage and sediment controls to prevent turbid water, pollutants and excessive sediment entering retained or rehabilitated wetlands.
  • Use local wetland plant species selected for the site's wetland type and approval requirements, while retaining some open shallow water and mud for wading birds.
  • Avoid dense planting across all shallow margins if it removes the open feeding habitat described for the species.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat protection and management

  • Remove weeds and prevent weed cover from closing open wetland margins or reducing access to shallow mud.
  • Manage introduced predators, domestic animals and uncontrolled public access where they disturb wetland birds, in accordance with the approved site plan.
  • Use fire planning appropriate to the wetland vegetation and local authority requirements, and prevent fire control works from damaging wetland margins.
  • Do not add logs, rocks, tree hollows or nest boxes as a substitute for shallow wetland and muddy feeding habitat, because the supplied documents do not identify these as Marsh Sandpiper habitat features.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

  • Monitor wetland water levels, open muddy margins, vegetation cover, weed presence, sediment condition and connectivity at the intervals set by the rehabilitation plan.
  • Record Marsh Sandpiper and other shorebird use with the same observation method used before disturbance, including numbers, behaviour and feeding locations.
  • Set success measures around stable wetland hydrology, retained open feeding margins, effective sediment controls and continued use by wetland birds, subject to seasonal availability.
  • Repair failed rehabilitation areas and continue monitoring until the approval conditions and agreed habitat outcomes are met.

Sources