_Tantalus variegatus_ Scopoli, Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr., fasc.
2, 1786, p. 92. (Type locality, Luzon, _ex._ Sonnerat.)
_Scolopax phaeopus_ Lesson, Traité d'Ornith., 1831, p. 566
(Marianas).
_Numenius phaeopus_ Kittlitz, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le
Séniavine," 3, 1836, pp. 287, 304 (Ualan, Guahan), Hartlaub, Journ.
f. Ornith., 1854, p. 167 (Mariannen); Kittlitz, Denkw. Reise russ.
Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 2, 1858, p. 129 (Ualan); Hartlaub,
Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867 (1868), p. 831 (Pelew, Matelotas);
Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 8, 118
(Pelew); _idem_, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 106 (Uap,
Pelews); Gräffe, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 2, 1873, p. 123 (Yap);
Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 5, 35 (Palau); _idem_,
Journ. f Ornith., 1880, pp. 294, 307 (Ponapé, Kuschai); _idem_,
Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 576 (Ruk); _idem_, Ibis, 1881,
pp. 107, 109, 115 (Kushai, Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr.
Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, pp. 281, 299, 353 (Ponapé, Mortlock,
Ruk); Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, pp.
308, 316, 318, 320 (Ulithi, Guam); Wharton, Ecol. Monogr., 16,
1946, pp. 174, 175 (Guam).
_Numenius tenuirostris_ Kittlitz, Denkw. Reise russ. Amer. Micron.
und Kamchat., 2, 1858, p. 55 (Marianas, Ualan).
_Numenius uropygialis_ Gray, Hand-list Birds, 3, 1871, p. 43
(Pelew).
_Numenius variegatus_ Salvadori, Ornith. Papuasia, 3, 1882, p. 332
(Pelew, Ponapé); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus.
Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 66 (Marianne, Pelew,
Matalotas, Luganor, Ruk, Ponapé, Ualan); Sharpe, Cat. Birds
British Mus., 24, 1896, p. 361 (Micronesia); Safford, The Plant
World, 7, 1904, p. 266 (Guam).
_Numenius phaeopus variegatus_ Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist.
Nat Paris, (3), 8, 1896, p. 39 (Mariannes, Palaos, Carolines,
Jaluit); Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 65 (Guam); _idem_,
Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 8 (Ruk); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P.
Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 34 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 67
(Marianas); _idem_, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80
(Guam); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Marianas,
Carolines, Pelews); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 21 (Guam);
Hartert, Vögel pal. Fauna, 13-14, 1921, p. 1649 (Guam); Hand-list
Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 192 (Marianas, Carolines, Palaus,
Marshalls); Peters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 261
(Caroline, Marianne, Pelew); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2,
1936, p. 24 (Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 215
(Guam, Koror, Babelthuap, Ngulu, Yap, Uluthi, Iuripik, Truk,
Lukunor, Ponapé, Kusaie, Jaluit, Wotze); Mayr, Birds Southwest
Pacific, 1945, p. 39 (Micronesia); Strophlet, Auk, 1946, p. 537
(Guam); Stott, Auk, 1947, p. 525 (Saipan); Baker, Smithson. Misc.
Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 51 (Guam, Angaur, Peleliu,
Ulithi).
_Phaeopus phaeopus variegatus_ Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore,
Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 178 (Guam); Kuroda, in
Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 45 (Palaus, Carolines,
Marians).
_Geographic range._--Breeds in northeastern Asia. Winters from
Malaysia east to Oceania. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands--Guam;
Palau Islands--Angaur, Peleliu, Koror, Babelthuap; Caroline
Islands--Ngulu, Yap, Ulithi, Truk, Lukunor, Iuripik, Ponapé,
Kusaie; Marshall Islands--Jaluit, Wotze.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 26 (9 males, 17 females), as
follows: Mariana Islands, USNM--Guam, 16 (June 4, 6, July 24, 26,
27, Sept. 1, 19, 25, Oct. 8); Palau Islands, USNM--Peleliu, 5
(Sept. 8, 12, 14)--Angaur, 4 (Sept. 21); Caroline Islands,
USNM--Ulithi, 1 (Aug. 17).
_Weights._--At Guam, the NAMRU2 party obtained the weights of two
males, 373 and 435, and of six females, 295-426 (384).
_Parasites._--Wharton (1946:174, 175) lists the following species
of chiggers (Acarina) taken from the Whimbrel at Guam: _Acariscus
pluvius_, _A. anous_, _Neoschöngastia strongi_, and _N. carveri_;
and at Ulithi: _N. namrui_ and _N. atollensis_.
_Remarks._--The Whimbrel is an abundant visitor to western Micronesia.
It was first taken by Quoy and Gaimard, who found it in the Marianas. It
is recorded in the Marshall Islands (Jaluit and Wotze), but apparently
reaches these islands from the west, since the species is unknown in the
Hawaiian Islands.
As shown in table 8, the NAMRU2 party observed the Whimbrel at Guam on
spring migration in March, 1945, the last record being on March 21. In
June and July, single birds or small groups were occasionally seen on
the tidal flats. Some of these birds may have been nonmigratory.
Beginning on July 24, more birds were recorded as they began to migrate
south after their nesting season. Whimbrels were numerous from August
until the conclusion of the observations in October. Birds were abundant
at the Palaus in September; only a few were noted at Ulithi in late
August. The Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of
Natural History made collections of this species at several islands in
Micronesia. At Ponapé, Coultas (field notes) writes that in November and
December, 1930, a few birds were seen on the reefs and at the edges of
mangrove swamps. At Peleliu in October to December, 1931, he found
Whimbrels concentrated on a small islet between Koror and Babelthuap. At
both Ponapé and Palau Coultas received reports that the birds remain at
the islands throughout the year.
=Numenius tahitiensis= (Gmelin)