A chunky brown wader with vivid red legs, contrasting with the slimmer, more elegant Spotted Redshank in non-breeding and juvenile plumage. Often watchful and wary, it readily gives loud, fluty whistles that can alert other birds. When uneasy, it flicks its tail and may take off, revealing a bright white trailing edge to the wings and a white rump. It feeds in shallow mud, probing and picking with its bill. Found in both freshwater and coastal wetlands, it also breeds on moorland, typically close to water.