Tringa hypoleucos Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 149.
Tringoides hypoleucus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24,
456; Hand-List (1899), 1, 161; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 45.
Actitis hypoleucus McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 26.
Agutaya (McGregor); Balabac (Everett); Bantayan (McGregor);
Basilan (Steere Exp.); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett);
Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (Guillemard, McGregor);
Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin
S. (Murray); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Jagor, Everett, Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao
(Murray, Everett); Mindoro (Schmacker, McGregor, Porter); Negros
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Everett, Platen,
Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Sibay
(McGregor & Worcester); Siquijor (Celestino); Ticao (McGregor);
Verde (McGregor). Africa, Europe, and northern Asia; south in
winter from Indian Peninsula to Australia.
"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Above bronzy brown, the feathers
with arrow-shaped central markings of black, which take the form of
bars on scapulars and inner secondaries, wing-coverts bronzy brown
like the back, but regularly barred with blackish; median and greater
coverts with ashy fringes, the latter rather broadly tipped with
white; alula, primary-coverts, and quills brown with an olive gloss;
secondaries tipped with white and having a broad white base; inner
secondaries like the back; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
like the back; lateral coverts barred with blackish and with white
on outer web; tail-feathers bronzy brown, with irregular cross-bars
of blackish brown; middle feathers narrowly, outer feathers broadly,
tipped with white, penultimate feather barred with white on outer
web, outermost feather almost entirely white with a little brown
on inner web, which is barred with blackish; crown and neck bronzy
brown, with narrow mesial shaft-lines of blackish brown, a narrow
superciliary line of whitish, extending from base of bill; sides
of face bronzy brown, with blackish shaft-lines to the feathers;
fore part of cheeks and under surface pure white, with dusky streaks
on the throat, these being a little longer on chest, the sides of
latter and sides of upper breast brown; under wing-coverts white,
mottled with blackish bases, especially distinct on edge of wing;
axillars pure white; quills dusky below, white toward base of inner
web. 'Bill dusky above, brownish gray beneath; feet grayish, tinged
with green, claws black; iris brown.' (Macgillivray.) Length, 203;
culmen, 28; wing, 104; tail, 51; tarsus, 24.
"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Similar to the male in color,
but not quite so heavily marked, and the streaks on the fore neck and
chest less pronounced. Length, 178; culmen, 28; wing, 109; tail, 61;
tarsus, 22.
"Adult in winter plumage.--A little more bronzy olive than in summer,
and uniform above, without the black central streaks and black
spear-shaped spots which are characteristic of the summer dress;
the streaks on the throat are also much narrower and not so distinct.
"Young.--Easily distinguished by the cross-bars of sandy or reddish
buff and dusky brown, which give the upper surface a freckled
appearance; throat uniform, with scarcely any indications of streaks
on the lower part." (Sharpe.)
The common sandpiper is widely distributed and is often found along
fresh-water streams as well as near the sea.
Genus TEREKIA Bonaparte, 1838.
Bill curved upward; tarsus longer than middle toe with claw and less
than two-thirds of culmen; wings long, when folded extending to or
beyond the end of tail.