Asian Dowitcher
Limnodromus semipalmatus
Very uncommon large, long-billed shorebird, nearly the size of a godwit, found in coastal mudflats and open marshes. Breeding adult extensively brick-red below, dark and strongly marked with brick-red tones above. Nonbreeding adult grayish brown with a duller, browner bill. Juvenile dark above, with broad gold feather edges, pale below, washed with warm buff or gold tones and with neat dark stipples and chevron-shaped marks. Blackish legs distinguish Asian from Long-billed Dowitcher, which has yellowish-green legs. Blackish or brownish bill of adult Asian differs from bicolored bill of godwits; note that bill of juvenile Asian has pale base.
Identification
Adults have dark legs and a long straight dark bill, somewhat shorter than that of the long-billed dowitcher. The body is brown on top and reddish underneath in breeding plumage. The tail has a black and white barred pattern. The winter plumage is largely grey.<p>Their breeding habitat is grassy wetlands in inland Siberia and Manchuria. They migrate to southeast Asia as far south as northern Australia, although both the breeding and wintering areas are poorly known. This bird is always found on coasts during migration and wintering.<p>These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, mollusks, crustaceans and marine worms, but also eat some plant material.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Limnodromus semipalmatus
- Authority
- (Blyth, 1848)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Limnodromus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : inland wetlands of temperate c, e Palearctic: sw Siberia and e Kazakhstan, (probably) n Mongolia to Amurland (se Siberia) and ne China
- Non-breeding range
- OR, AU : coastal s Thailand, Malay Pen., Indonesian Arch., n Australia and Philippines (rare)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Sporophila nigricollis
Male is a fairly distinctive seedeater with yellow belly (sometimes very pale), dark breast and face, and brownish-olive back. Often shows some smudgy dark marks down the flanks. Bill is pale silvery. Female seedeaters are extremely difficult to identify; Yellow-bellied tends to look warmer with yellowish tones on underparts, but many are best left unidentified unless accompanied by a male. Most often found in flocks or pairs in open grassy habitats, sometimes near the edge of forest but also in agricultural areas.
Coastal Miner
Geositta peruviana
A pale terrestrial bird found only in coastal deserts of Peru. It is pale brownish-gray and lacks strong field marks. Very similar to Grayish Miner; Coastal Miner has a wing stripe, though this is only evident in flight. The two species mostly separate out by range, with Coastal Miner favoring the flat coastal plain and Grayish Miner preferring rocky slopes of hills and mountains. Coastal Miner is also similar to Short-tailed Field Tyrant, but lacks distinct wingbars and rump patch, and has a longer tail. Solitary, usually seen running through barren, sandy areas. Occasionally flies up to perch on a rock or bush, and also performs flight displays.
Lesser Blue-eared Starling
Lamprotornis chloropterus
Beautiful, glossy green-and-purple starling. There is a stripe through the eye that sometimes looks black and sometimes deep purple. Juveniles in the northern part of the range have a brown head and underparts, while southern juveniles have distinctive rufous underparts. In the south, found in broadleaf woodland, mainly miombo. In the north, uses a variety of savanna, brush, and woodland habitats. The song is a complex, chattering series, and the call is a vibrant rising note, which is often incorporated into the song. Very similar to Greater Blue-eared Starling, but smaller and shorter-tailed, with a thinner stripe through the eye. Also similar to Cape Starling, but has a dark eye-stripe and a purple belly, and is usually found in different habitat.
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