samchang

MP, 14Apr. Godwit?

ajohn

Bar-tailed Godwit. Notice the long, slightly upturned bill, and the streaked upperparts.
There was a large influx of this species at Mai Po at around the time of this photo.

samchang

Thanks, John.

samchang

How about this one? Is it the same species? The bill of previous one seems to be totally covered by mud while this one is clear.

ajohn

No, the second bird is a Common Greenshank. Again, the bill is slightly upturned, but is shorter than the godwit. The legs are relatively slightly longer. The head and neck are streaked with grey and the upperparts have clear dark spots (breeding plumage on this species) and white 'notches' at the edge od the tertials. In the field, you should also notice that the Greenshank is smaller.

samchang

Thanks. Haven't seen/noticed the breeding plumage before.