Numenius cyanopus Vieillot, N. Dict. d'Hist. Nat. (1817), 8, 306;
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 350; Hand-List (1899),
1, 158; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 24.
Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester). Japan and eastern Siberia, in winter to Australia.
"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Similar to N. arquatus and of
the same size, but distinguished by the dark lower back and rump
and the regular barring of axillars and under wing-coverts. General
appearance more fulvous; under surface tinged with vinous-buff all
over; lower back and rump sandy buff with blackish brown centers to the
feathers, thus greatly resembling the rest of back; upper tail-coverts
barred with blackish brown and sandy buff or white. 'Bill black,
flesh-colored at base of lower mandible; feet bluish gray; iris dark
brown.' (Taczanowski.) Length, 610; culmen, 183; wing, 318; tail,
117; tarsus, 88.
"Adult male.--In this species the difference in size between the
sexes is not so apparent as in some of the allied ones. Length, 533;
culmen, 173; wing, 302; tail, 109; tarsus, 81.
"Young.--Much more tawny than the adults and having tawny-buff bars
or notches on the innermost secondaries; the streaks on the under
surface very fine and narrow.
"Adults in winter plumage do not differ very much from the summer
plumage, but the under surface is much less distinctly streaked;
the upper surface is very similar at both times of the year." (Sharpe.)
This curlew like the next preceding is a large bird and usually,
singly or in pairs, is found feeding on flats exposed at low tide.