A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

“In the breeding season the white spots on the upper surface become much worn and abraded, so that the general appearance of the back is very uniform; the mottling on the fore neck and chest becomes very distinct by reason of the abrasion of the white margins of the feathers, and the axillars are completely barred across with brown.” (Sharpe.)

Subfamily SCOLOPACINÆ.

This subfamily contains all of the snipes and a number of small sandpipers; the toes are without webs, otherwise many of the genera might easily fall in the subfamily Totaninæ.

Genera.

• a¹. Culmen equal to or less than tarsus.
  • b¹. No hind toe. Calidris (p. [132])
  • b². Hind toe present.
    • c¹. Tarsus about equal to middle toe with claw. Pisobia (p. [133])
    • c². Tarsus longer than middle toe with claw. Heteropygia (p. [138])
• a². Culmen longer than tarsus.
  • b¹. Eye not placed far back in the head; ear opening well behind posterior margin of eye.
    • c¹. Larger; wing more than 150 mm.; culmen more than 40 mm. Tringa (p. [141])
    • c². Smaller; wing less than 130 mm.; culmen less than 40 mm.
      • d¹. Bill slender, upper mandible narrow, its tip slightly expanded; upper tail-coverts white. Erolia (p. [139])
      • d². Bill broad and flat; end of upper mandible decidedly decurved, its tip pointed; upper tail-coverts not white. Limicola (p. [142])
  • b². Eye placed well back in head; ear opening just below hinder margin of eye.
    • c¹. Tarsus less than middle toe with claw; culmen nearly twice the length of tarsus; culmen straight. Gallinago (p. [143])
    • c². Tarsus more than middle toe with claw and but little less than culmen; culmen decidedly decurved at its tip. Rostratula (p. [147])

Genus CALIDRIS Illiger, 1811.

Bill straight, slightly expanded at tip, culmen about equal to tarsus and longer than middle toe with claw; hind toe wanting.

112. CALIDRIS LEUCOPHÆA (Pallas).

SANDERLING.

• Tringa leucophæa Pallas, in Vroeg’s Catal. (1764), 32.
• Trynga alba Pallas, Vroeg’s Catal. Adumbr. (1764), 7; Sherborn, Smiths. Misc. Colls. (1905), 47, 341.
• Tringa arenaria Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 251.
• Calidris arenaria Oates, Bds. Brit. Burmah (1885), 2, 398; Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1902), 2, 52; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 526; Hand-List (1899), 1, 163.
• Calidris alba Richmond, Smiths. Misc. Colls. (1905), 47, 347.
• Calidris abba McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 27 (error).
• Calidris leucophæa A. O. U. Committee, Auk (1908), 25, 367.