Charadrius geoffroyi Wagler, Syst. Av. (1827), 61.
Ochthodromus geoffroyi Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
217; Hand-List (1899), 1, 153; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 20; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 23.
Ma-tang va-ca de collar, general name for small plovers.
Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor);
Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor);
Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor);
Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro
(McGregor, Porter); Palawan (Everett, Lempriere, Platen, Whitehead,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere Exp.);
Pata (Mearns); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester). Japan, Formosa,
and Hainan, south in winter to Africa, India, and Australia.
"Adult in breeding plumage.--Above light brown, with a slight
olive-greenish gloss, wing-coverts like the back, with obsolete
indications of paler fringes to some of the feathers, greater series
tipped with white, forming a narrow wing-bar; alula, primary-coverts,
and quills brown, primaries darker brown along their outer webs and
at tips, shafts white; inner primaries with a white mark toward the
base of outer web; secondaries brown, with white fringes to the end
of outer web and white tips, shafts white, with a little extension
along the sides of the shaft in the inner secondaries; innermost
long secondaries like back, outer ones white along their outer web;
rump and upper tail-coverts a little lighter and more ashy brown than
the back, with white fringes to most of the feathers; sides of rump
white; tail ashy brown with a broad white tip, a subterminal shade of
darker brown, forming an obsolete, subterminal band; outer feathers
with more or less white near base of inner web, outermost one almost
entirely white, except for a slight shade of smoky brown and a slightly
indicated subterminal shade of darker brown; hinder crown light brown,
entirely surrounded by pale cinnamon-rufous, which occupies fore part
of crown and extends down sides of neck round hinder neck, where
it forms a broad collar of pale cinnamon-rufous; base of forehead
white, followed by a narrow black band; lores black; feathers in
front of and below the eye black; which unite with a black band along
top of ear-coverts; sides of face and under surface of body white;
across fore neck and chest a broad band of cinnamon-rufous or light
chestnut, which extends a little way down the sides of upper breast;
under wing-coverts, axillars, and quill-lining white. Length, 215;
culmen, 25; wing, 140; tail, 51; tarsus, 37.
"Adult in winter plumage.--Differs from the summer plumage in wanting
the rufous chest and in the absence of all facial markings. Above
uniform brown, head like the back, hind neck paler and more ashy
brown; lores, forehead, eyelid, and a broad eyebrow white; feathers
below eye brown extending in a streak along ear-coverts; cheeks and
entire under surface white, with a patch of brown on each side of
upper breast. 'Bill black; tarsus greenish gray or pale olive; toes
dusky or blackish; iris brown.' (Hume.)
"Young.--Similar to the adults in winter plumage, but dark brown,
with faint edges of sandy buff to the feathers of upper surface;
eyebrow and sides of face washed with sandy rufous, a strong shade
of which color pervades chest and sides of upper breast." (Sharpe.)
In winter plumage Ochthodromus geoffroyi and O. mongolus are very
similar but the former may be recognized by its larger size and longer
bill. In a male the wing measures 136; tail, 57; exposed culmen, 24;
tarsus, 36; middle toe with claw, 24. Wing of a female, 140; tail,
55; exposed culmen, 24; tarsus, 37; middle toe with claw, 23.