Mon

2013/10/14
塱原LV

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9Wi

扇尾沙錐 Common Snipe

thinfor

May I ask how to assure this snipe is either common or pintail? The most diagnostic feature to distinguish them is the tail feathers and the underwing pattern but both could not be shown.
Appreciated if any experienced birders can advise.

cgeoff

The warm brown tone to the head and chest, the rich buff lower edges to the lower scapulars and the contrasting whitish area below the eye identify this as Common Snipe.

GeoffC

John Holmes

Here are two shots of Swinhoe's/Pintail Snipe taken in Hong Kong at the end of September.

Geoff C. mentioned "the rich buff lower edges to the lower scapulars.." on Common Snipe.

You can see on the bird in these two photos, the buffy edge to the scapulars is narrower and goes all the way around- not just the lower edge-  so that "Swintail" has much less of a lined appearance on the back than does Common.

The plates and description in Mark Brazil's "Birds of East Asia" are very useful to separate the asian snipe species.

[ Last edited by John Holmes at 17/11/2013 18:43 ]

Mon

Thank You.

thinfor

Many thanks for the detailed information on the different scapular pattern of Swintail and Common snipes.  Now I have more confidence on distinguish them even they don't move a lot in wild fields!