Please, Don’t Think Less of Me

Do you think a young Lesser Yellowlegs is upset when it discovers it’s been forever labeled Lesser because it’s a mere four inches shorter than its nearest relative the Greater Yellowlegs?

Would it comfort a young male to know that despite being labeled “Lesser,? he’s bigger than his near relatives the Spotted Sandpiper or the Sanderling, though uninitiated birders like myself, never having heard of a Sanderling, may well confuse him with the more common Sandpiper? Maybe it should just be happy it’s not called the Least Sandpiper.

If she’s female, do you suppose she resents being named after her legs instead of her lovely feathery dress or her slender figure?

If it happens to read my weblog, would this Lesser Yellowlegs resent being labeled Lesser Yellowlegs if it turns out that it’s really just a short Greater Yellowlegs with an unusually dark and short beak?

If your nickname was Lesser Yellowlegs would you prefer to be known to the world by your formal name, Tringa Flavipes? Naw, neither would I.

2 thoughts on “Please, Don’t Think Less of Me”

  1. My dad’s nickname was “Slatlegs”…..lol…. and mine used to be nearly as skinny as hers, but not yellow (God forbid). I think her spotted dress is wonderful and so she struts her stuff, not caring what the world calls her!!

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