redshank

American

[red-shangk] / ˈrɛdˌʃæŋk /

noun

an Old World sandpiper, Tringa totanus, having red legs and feet.

redshank British

/ ˈrɛdˌʃæŋk /

noun

either of two large common European sandpipers, Tringa totanus or T. erythropus ( spotted redshank ), having red legs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of redshank

First recorded in 1515–25; red ¹ + shank

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

redshank

"Species like dunlin, black-tailed godwit and redshank will travel all around the world to feed and roost in the land around the River Mersey," explained Charlotte Harris, chief executive of Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The site is home to bird species including bearded tit, avocet, redshank and lapwing.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

The authority said seven key species - the adonis blue butterfly, skylark, redshank, yellow horned poppy, ringed plover, bee orchid and wigeon - were "indicators of biodiversity and landscape quality".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2021

It has the highest breeding densities of northern lapwing and redshank in the world.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 6, 2020

Small birds there are, of course, in numbers, such as wag-tails, sandpipers, and the oddly crying and flying redshank, a shore bird.

From Cornwall by G. E. (Geraldine Edith) Mitton

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023