Scolopax nebularius Gunnerus, Leem. Lapp. Beschr. (1767), 251.
Glottis nebularius Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 481;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 161; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 47;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 26.
Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Luzon (McGregor); Mindanao
(Platen); Mindoro (McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp.). Africa,
northern Europe and northern Asia; in winter Indian Peninsula
to Australia.
"Adult in winter plumage.--General color above ashy brown, mottled with
whitish edges to the feathers, which are freckled and subterminally
lined with darker brown, the shafts being also well marked;
scapulars clearer ashy gray, with an interrupted subterminal line of
blackish brown; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white;
exterior wing-coverts uniform blackish brown; median and greater
covers lighter brown, fringed with white; alula, primary-coverts,
and quills blackish, the latter fringed with white at the end of
the inner webs; secondaries ashy brown, edged with white, innermost
long secondaries spotted with black on the margins; tail white,
center feathers crossed with regular but somewhat interrupted bars
of brown, outer feathers with a few broken spots and bars of brown
on outer webs; crown and hind neck grayish brown, the feathers edged
with white, imparting a streaked appearance, more marked on the head;
forehead, lores, and sides of face pure white; sides of neck and upper
margin of ear-coverts narrowly streaked with ashy brown; entire under
surface pure white; sides of upper breast irregularly freckled with
brown; under wing-coverts white, with a subterminal bar of brown,
or a central arrowhead line of the latter color; axillars white,
with a few remains of brown spots; lower primary-coverts ashy,
with whitish edgings; quills below ashy, the lateral markings of
the secondaries indicated below. 'Bill and feet light slate-color;
iris dark brown.' (Ayres.) Length, 330; culmen, 56; wing, 183; tail,
60; tarsus, 55.
"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Of a more ruddy brown than in the
winter plumage and with black centers to feathers of upper surface;
head and neck streaked with black; sides of face white, narrowly
streaked with black; below white, lower throat, fore neck, and chest
with numerous ovate spots of black; flanks with a few irregular bars
of black; under wing-coverts and axillars white barred with black,
bars on the latter somewhat interrupted; lower back, rump, and upper
tail-coverts white, lateral coverts barred with black; two center
tail-feathers ashy gray, slightly freckled with dusky, and notched with
black on the margins; remainder of tail-feathers white barred with
blackish, the bars becoming more irregular on the lateral feathers,
which have distinct bars only on the outer webs. 'Bill blackish
brown, lighter brownish gray toward base, especially on lower jaw;
feet yellowish gray, joints bluish.' (Stejneger.) Length, 305; culmen,
53; wing, 190; tail, 76; tarsus, 56.
"Adult female.--Similar to the male in color. 'Bill blackish brown,
basal half lighter, on upper mandible with a bluish, on lower one
with a reddish-gray tinge; feet dirty olive-gray, joints darker and
more bluish gray.' (Stejneger.)
"Young after first molt.--Similar to the winter plumage of the adults
but more tinged with rufous-brown and with the feathers spotted with
whity brown on both webs; center tail-feathers white, distinctly
barred across with black, chest also distinctly streaked with dusky;
sides of breast spotted and mottled with dusky brown." (Sharpe.)
Genus RHYACOPHILUS Kaup, 1829.
Bill straight; culmen equal to middle toe without claw but much less
than tarsus; rump white.