Bill longer than the head, subulate, slender, straight, or recurved,
or decurved; upper mandible with the nasal groove very long, the
edges flattened or rounded, the tip generally rather obtuse; lower
mandible with the angle extremely long and narrow, the sides
longitudinally grooved. Nostrils basal, linear, small. Head rather
small, oblong, anteriorly rounded; neck of moderate length or long;
body ovate, deep. Legs generally long, slender; tarsus long,
compressed, scutellate; toes generally four, first small, sometimes
wanting; anterior toes of moderate length, slender. Claws small,
arched, compressed, rather acute. Wings long, pointed, with the first
quill longest, and the inner secondaries tapering and much elongated;
tail rather short, of twelve feathers. Tongue long, slender, trigonal,
pointed; œsophagus of moderate width, stomach oblong or roundish,
moderately muscular, with dense rugous epithelium; intestine long, of
moderate width; cœca rather long, cylindrical, contracted at the
base. Trachea flattened, with a single pair of inferior laryngeal
muscles.
GENUS I. TRINGA, Linn. SANDPIPER.
Bill little longer than the head, slender, straight, compressed,
tapering, with the tip a little enlarged and blunt; upper mandible
with the dorsal line straight and slightly declinate, the ridge narrow
and flattened until towards the end, when it becomes considerably
broader, the sides sloping, the tip convex above and ending in a blunt
point, the edges thick and flattened; nasal groove extending to near
the tip; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the
dorsal line straight, the sides sloping outwards, with a long narrow
groove, the tip a little broader, but tapering. Head rather small,
oblong, compressed; neck of ordinary length; body rather full. Feet
rather long, slender; tibia bare a third part of its length; tarsus
anteriorly and posteriorly scutellate; hind toe very small, or
wanting, the rest of moderate length, slender, the fourth slightly
longer than the second, the third longest, all free, broadly
marginate, with numerous scutella. Claws small, slightly arched,
compressed, rather obtuse. Plumage soft, blended, on the back
distinct. Wings very long, pointed; primaries tapering, obtuse, the
first longest; one of the inner secondaries very long. Tail rather
short, nearly even, of twelve feathers.
328. 1. Tringa Bartramia, Wils. Bartramian Sandpiper.--Highland
Plover. Papabote.
Plate CCCIII. Male and Female.
Bill scarcely longer than the head, slender, slightly deflected at the
end, yellowish-green, with the tip dusky; legs rather long, light
greyish-yellow, toes greenish; upper part of head dark brown, with a
median pale yellowish-brown line, of which colour are the margins of
the feathers; hind part and sides of the neck light yellowish-brown,
streaked with dusky; fore part of neck and breast paler, with
longitudinal pointed dusky streaks, becoming transverse on the breast
and sides; throat and the rest of the lower parts yellowish-white,
except the axillars and lower wing-coverts which are white, banded
with brownish-black; on the upper parts the feathers dark brown
glossed with green, their margins with alternate yellowish-brown and
dusky spots; the hind part of the back darker, without spots; alula,
primary coverts, and primary quills, blackish-brown, the inner webs
crossed by white bands until about an inch from the end; the shaft of
first quill brownish-white, of the rest brown; secondaries
greyish-brown, the outer margins pale brown, with dusky spots, the
inner darker; two middle feathers of tail dark olive, tinged with
grey, transversely barred with black, the last bar arrow-shaped, the
margins cream-coloured; the next feather on each side lighter, and
tinged with yellowish-red, the rest gradually lighter, the outer
white, all barred with black.
_Male_, 12-1/2, 22. _Female_, 13, 22-3/4.
From Texas along the coast to Nova Scotia. Breeds from Maryland
northward to the Saskatchewan. In vast flocks in Louisiana,
Oppelousas, and the Western Prairies, in autumn and spring. Rare in
Kentucky.
Bartram Sandpiper, Tringa Bartramia, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii.
p. 63.
Totanus Bartramius, Bonap. Syn. p. 262.
Totanus Bartramius, Bartram Tatler, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor.
Amer. v. ii. p. 391.
Bartramian Tatler, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 169.
Bartramian Sandpiper, Totanus Bartramius, Aud. Orn. Biog. v.
iv. p. 24.
329. 2. Tringa Islandica, Linn. Ash-coloured Sandpiper.--Knot.
Grey-back, Red-breasted Sandpiper.
Plate CCCXV. Summer and winter plumage.
In summer, the bill and feet black, upper part of the head and hind
neck light grey, tinged with buff, and longitudinally streaked or
spotted with dusky; fore part of back and scapulars variegated with
brownish-black and yellowish, and each feather with several spots of
the latter, and tipped with whitish; hind part of the back, rump, and
upper tail-coverts, barred with black; wing-coverts ash-grey, edged
with paler; alula and primary coverts brownish-black, tipped with
white; primaries similar, their shafts, and the outer margins of all,
excepting the first three white, the inner webs toward the base light
grey; secondaries and their coverts grey, margined with white; sides
of head, fore part of neck, breast, and abdomen, rich brownish-orange;
lower tail-coverts and feathers of legs white, each of the former with
a central dusky arrow-shaped or elongated spot; axillaries white,
barred with dusky; lower wing-coverts dusky with white margins. In
winter the bill greenish-black, feet yellowish-green; upper parts deep
ash-grey, each feather margined with whitish; feathers of rump
greyish-white; upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky; quills and
tail as in summer; a band from the bill over the eye to the hind part
of the head, white; loral space, cheeks, and sides of neck pale grey,
streaked with darker; throat and lower parts white; sides, axillar
feathers, and lower wing-coverts, barred or spotted with dusky; lower
tail-coverts as in summer. Young in autumn like the adult in winter,
but each feather on the upper parts with a narrow margin of white,
within which is a dusky line.
_Male_, 10-1/4, 21.
In autumn and spring ranges along the coast from Texas to Labrador.
Breeds in the Fur Countries, to a very high latitude. Common.
Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Tringa cinerea, Wils. Amer. Orn. v.
vii. p. 36. Winter.
Red-breasted Sandpiper, Tringa rufa, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii.
p. 57. Summer.
Tringa islandica, Bonap. Syn. p. 350.
Tringa cinerea, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 387.
Knot or Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 125.
Knot or Ash-coloured Sandpiper, Tringa islandica, Aud. Orn.
Biog. v. iv. p. 130.