Greater Yellowlegs adult breeding plumage
Watercolor
(14" x 18")
Julie Zickefoose
(1999)

When compared with Lesser Yellowlegs, the bill of the Greater is slightly upturned and paler at the base, and the flanks are more heavily barred. In flight both have stripe-free, dark wings and a whitish rump and tail.

Lesser Yellowlegs
adult breeding plumage
Watercolor
(14" x 18")
Julie Zickefoose
(1999)

When compared with the Greater Yellowlegs, the Lesser Yellowlegs is lesser in a number of ways: it is shorter and slimmer, its flanks less barred, and its all-black bill is less uptilted and ushers forth a less forceful call.

Stanford Note: Solitary Sandpiper, which also frequent the campus, have greenish not yellow legs, a light eye-ring, and a boldly striped tail with a bold dark center strip.