Swinhoe's Snipe

Gallinago megala (Swinhoe, 1861)

2016-05-20 Tobolsk region, Aremzyanka river, bridge	© Eugeny Bayanov

Description

In fresh autumn plumage center of forehead, crown and nape are black. Yellow strip passes from base of bill to crown, the same strip passes from base of bill above the eye. Head-flanks are yellowish black-mottled. The center of back and shoulders are black with yellowish edges of feathers; the yellow broad strips passes on sides of back. The rear-back and uppertail are blackish with narrow yellowish croass-streaks. Upper tail coverts are yellowish with black cross strips. Throat is white. The neck's fore and flanks, craw, fore-breast and flanks are yellowish cross-streaked. Rear-breast and belly are white. Undertail is yellowish dark cross-striped. Flight feathers are greyish-brown, the secondaries are with narrow white tips. Elongated secondaries are dark-brownish rusty cross-striped. The broad central pairs of tail feathers are black-based, brown-rusty in terminal part with black pre-terminal band. In spring plumage birds are much paler and more mottled than in autumn one, black feathers are with rusty mottles. Bill is black, legs are greenish-brown. Eyes are dark-brownish. Swinhoe's Snipe is very similar to Common and Pin-tailed Snipes by habit and coloring, the main distinctions is in the frame of tail. Outer tail feathers are narrow, about 2 mm width, very asymmetric, outer webs are much narrow than inner ones. Next four pairs of tail feathers are broader than previous ones on 1 mm; sixth pair from side and all other inner tail feathers are broad. All outer narrow tail feathers are taut and hard, without preterminal contraction as on Pin-tailed Snipe. Sizes: wing 134-145, tarsus 32-37, bill 56-69 mm. Weight: males 122-144, females 136-138 gr.

References