“Adult male.—Similar to G. stenura, and with wire-like outer tail-feathers, but these not so narrow and showing at least two distinct bars towards the ends; the tail-feathers twenty in number, of which the seven outer ones are attenuated, and only the six central ones show the characteristic broad subterminal band of rufous. ‘Bill light yellowish brown for basal two-thirds, yellower on base of under mandible, blackish brown on apical third; feet light yellowish gray, with blackish brown claws; iris dark umber brown.’ (Swinhoe.) Length, 240; culmen, 58; wing, 137; tail, 55; tarsus, 34.
“Adult female.—Does not differ from the male. ‘Legs and feet pale bluish gray, nails black.’ (Everett.) Length, 267; culmen, 66; wing, 142; tail, 55; tarsus, 33.
“Young birds.—As with G. stenura so with the present species, the young birds appear to be distinguishable by their more uniform dark brown throat and chest; the stripes on the sides of the crown are also black and not mottled with rufous spots.” (Sharpe.)
“Extremely abundant in rice-fields at certain seasons.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
123. GALLINAGO GALLINAGO (Linnæus).
FANTAIL SNIPE.
- Scolopax gallinago Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 147.
- Gallinago gallinago Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 633; Hand-List (1899), 1, 165; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1902), 2, 61; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 29.
- Gallinago cœlestis Oates, Bds. Brit. Burmah (1883), 2, 381.
Can-du-ro′, Manila and Mindoro.
Bohol (Everett); Leyte (Everett); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (McGregor). Europe to northern Asia; in winter Senegambia and northeastern Africa, Indian Peninsula to Malay Peninsula and the Moluccas.
“Male and female.—Crown black with a fulvous streak over median line; a blackish streak from bill to eye, above and below which the feathers are pale fulvous; chin whitish; throat and sides of head and neck fulvous, streaked with black; breast and sides of body fulvous, barred with black; abdomen and vent white; under tail-coverts fulvous, streaked with brown; under wing-coverts barred indistinctly with black and white; tail black, the end rufous mottled with black; upper plumage black, edged and streaked with rich fulvous and chestnut; wing-coverts black, barred with fulvous; quills dark brown, narrowly edged with whitish. Bill fleshy brownish, green for two-thirds of its length from base, remainder horny brown; iris very dark brown; legs and feet brownish green. Length, 267; tail, 61; wing, 127; tarsus, 30; bill from gape, 58.” (Oates.)