AVIS-IBIS - An Avian Information System - Indian BioDiversity Information System

 

Sib. Reise. Vog. p. 222. Taf., xix. p. 6; Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 889; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 391; Murray, Avif. Brit. Ind. ii. p. 612, No. 1291. Tringa damacensis (Horsf.), apud Hume, Str. F. i. p. 243. Tringa salina (Pall.), apud Legge, Str. F. i. p. 491 ; Dresser, B. Eur. viii. p. 33; Blyth and Wald., B. Burm. p. 156. Tringa ruficollis (Pall.), apud. Wald., Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 234; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 113; Oates, Str. F. x. p. 240. :-

The Long-toed Stint.
 

Summer Plumage. :- Forehead, top of head and nape dark brown, each feather with an edging of rich rufous on the terminal half; lores, cheek and ear coverts the same ; an albescent patch in front of the eye above the lores; upper part of the throat pure white ; lower throat streaked with small marks of pale rufous brown ; sides of throat, neck, upper breast and sides of body pale rufous brown, each feather with a central dark brown streak; lower breast, abdomen and vent pure white; under tail coverts white, each feather with a long, narrow central brown streak; thighs rufescent; upper neck mixed brown and pale rufous; whole upper plumage, including the scapulars and tertiaries, rich blackish brown, each feather broadly tipped with bright rufous; rump and upper tail coverts glossy black, few of the feathers of the latter obsoletely tipped white; centre tail feathers black, edged with rufous, the others pale brown, tipped and margined internally with white; axiliaries white, a little brown at their bases ; under wing coverts pale brown, edged with white; shaft of first quill sordid whity brown, those of the others dark hair brown; primaries and secondaries dark brown, all tipped with white except the first six primaries; all the primaries except the first three with a median narrow margin of white on the outer web; upper coverts brown, all more or less tipped and margined with dull white. In winter it resembles T. minula in general appearance, but the upper plumage is darker; the forehead and face where white in T. minuta are streaked with brown in T. subminuta; the greater wing coverts and secondaries are very narrowly tipped with white, and the sides of the neck and the chest are thickly marked with brown streaks. Iris brown; bill olive-brown; legs and toes pale brown; claws nearly black.

Length. :- 6.2 inches; tail 1.4; wing 3.7; tarsus 0.8; middle toe and claw nearly an inch; bill from gape 7.5. The female is of the same size. This Stint may be recognized by the great length of its toes, the middle one, including its claw, measuring frequently little short of an inch in length. It resembles T. minuta in having the outer tail feathers brown, but differs in having the shafts of all the primaries brown, except that of the first quill, which is dull white. From T. Temmincki it may be separated by the colour of its outer tail feathers as well as by its long toes. (Oates.)

Hab. :- Arracan, Pegu and Tenasserim. Found also seasonally in N.-E. Siberia through China and Mongolia to Burmah, extending on the west to Bengal, the Eastern Coast of India and Ceylon, and ranging southwards to the Malay Peninsula, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and the Phillipines.

 

Sib. Reise. Vog. p. 222. Taf., xix. p. 6 ; Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 889 ; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 391. Tringa damacensis (Horsf.'), apud Hume, Str. F. i. p. 243. Tringa salina (Pall.), apud Legge, Str. F. i. p. 491 ; Dresser, B.Eur, viii. p. 33; Blyth and Wald., B. Burm., p. 156. Tringa ruficollis (Pall.), apud. Wald. Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 234; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 113; Oates, Str. F. x. p. 240. -

The Long-toed Stint.

Summer Plumage. - Forehead, top of head and nape dark brown, each feather with an edging of rich rufous on the terminal half; lores, cheek and ear coverts the same ; an albescent patch in front of the eye above the lores ; tipper part of the throat pure white ; lower throat streaked with small marks of pale rufous brown ; sides of throat, neck, upper breast and sides of body pale rufous brown, each feather with a central dark brown streak; lower breast, abdomen and vent pure white ; under tail coverts white, each feather with a long, narrow central brown streak; thighs rufescent; upper neck mixed brown and pale rufous; whole upper plumage, including the scapulars and tertiaries, rich blackish brown, each feather broadly tipped with bright rufous ; rump and upper tail coverts glossy black, few of the feathers of the latter obsoletely tipped white; centre tail feathers black, edged with rufous, the Others pale brown, tipped and margined internally with white; axillaries white, a little brown at their bases ; under wing coverts pale brown, edged with white; shaft of first quill sordid whity brown, those of the others dark hair brown; primaries and secondaries dark brown, all tipped with white except the first six primaries; all the primaries except the first three with a median narrow margin of white on the outer web ; upper coverts brown, all more or less tipped and margined with dull white. In winter it resembles T. minuta in general appearance, but the upper plumage is darker; the forehead and face where white in T. minuta are streaked with brown in T. subminuta; the greater wing coverts and secondaries are very narrowly tipped: with white, and the sides of the neck and the chest are thickly marked with brown streaks. Iris brown; bill olive-brown; legs and toes pale brown ; claws nearly black.

Length. - 6.2 inches; tail 1.4; wing 3.7; tarsus 0.8; middle toe and claw nearly an inch; bill from gape 7.5- The female is of the same size. This Stint may be recognized by the great length of its toes, the middle one, including its claw, measuring frequently little short of an inch in length. It resembles T. minuta in having the outer tail feathers brown, but differs in having the shafts of all the primaries brown, except that of the first quill, which is dull white. From T. Temmincki it may be separated by the colour of its outer tail feathers as well as by its long toes. (Oates.)

Hab. - Arracan, Pegu and Tenasserim. Found also seasonally in N. E. Siberia through China and Mongolia to Burmah, extending on the west to Bengal, the Eastern Coast of India and Ceylon, and ranging southwards to the Malay Peninsula, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and the Phillipines.

 

The Long-toed Stint.

Tringa subminuta, Middendorff, Reis. Sibir., Zool., S'augth. Vog. &c. p. 222, pl. xix, fig. 6 (foot) (1851); Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 875; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 889; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 391 ; Seebohm, Charadr. p. 438. Tringa damacensis, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 168; Hume, S. B. i, p. 242. Tringa salina, apud Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 474; Legge, S. F. i, p. 491; Blyth & Wald. Birds Burm. p. 156. Tringa ruficollis, apud Hume & Dav. S. F. vi, p. 461; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 228; Hume, ibid,, p. 487; id. Cat. no. 884 bis ; id. S. F. xi, p. 323. Limonites damacensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 553.

Coloration in winter. Upper parts dark brown, the feathers with light brown edges, a dark streak through the lores to the eye, and a pale greyish superciliary band ; sides of head and neck light greyish brown, streaked darker; quills dark brown, scarcely any white on the secondaries and narrow tips on the greater coverts ; shafts of 1st primary whitish in parts, those of other primaries brown ; lower back, middle of rump and of upper tail-coverts, and middle tail-feathers blackish; sides of rump and lateral tail-coverts white, outer tail-feathers greyish brown; chin, throat, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts white; fore neck and breast pale greyish brown with dark shaft-stripes.

In summer the feathers of the upper parts are broadly edged with rufous, and there is a slight rufous tinge on the fore neck and breast, as in T. minuta.

Bill olive-brown ; iris brown ; legs and toes pale brown (Oates) ; legs and feet yellowish olivaceous (Legge).

Length 6 ; tail 1.5 ; wing 3.7; tarsus .8; mid-toe and claw .9. to 1 ; bill from gape .75.

Distribution. Eastern Siberia in summer, S. E. Asia to Australia in winter. Common at that season in Burma, Bengal, and Ceylon, and probably occurring throughout the Eastern half of the Indian Peninsula.

Habits, &c. The Long-toed Stint occurs, like T. minuta, in flocks during the winter, but is, according to both Legge and Oates, even, more of a marsh-loving bird than that species, its long toes evidently enabling it to run over soft mud. Hume found these two Stints to be brought in about equal numbers to the bazaar in Calcutta.

 

The Long-toed Stint.

Male 6". Legs pale brown. Bill olive. Above dark brown, edged lighter. Shafts of primaries, with exception of first, are brown. Middle toe and claw 1". All tail-feathers brown. Ranges from E. Siberia in summer to Australia in winter. Common during cold season in Burma, Bengal, and Ceylon. (S. F. i. 244. B. 1473.)

 

The Long-toed Stint.

Tringa subminuta Midden., Reis. N. O. & O. Siberia (1851) (Stanaway); Blanf. & Oates, iv, p. 275.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. - Breeding plumage. Feathers above lores and indistinct supercilium whitish streaked with black; crown and mantle blackish, each feather broadly rufous on the sides and with a narrow white terminal fringe; lower back, centre of rump and upper tail-coverts blackish, the sides white; tail blackish on the central tail-feathers, the lateral ones brown; primaries blackish, paler on the inner webs and the first shaft white; coverts brown edged with white, forming a narrow wing-bar on the greater ; primary coverts blackish; outer secondaries brown with white edges and tips ; chin and throat dull white; sides of head, neck and breast greyish rufous-white spotted with blackish;, axillaries and rest of lower primary white.

Colours of soft parts. Iris brown; bill olive-brown to blackish, paler at the base of the lower mandible ; legs and feet pale olive-yellow to pale brown.

Measurements. Wing 87 to 95 mm.; tail 34 to 36 mm.; tarsus about 20 to 21 mm.; culmen 17 to 19 mm.

In Winter the upper parts are brownish-black, each feather margined with grey; sides of head and neck, fore-neck and breast greyish with dark shaft-streaks.

Distribution. Siberia from Lake Baikal to Eastern Manchuria, Japan, the Kurile Islands and the islands off Alaska. In Winter South to China, the Indo-Chinese countries, the Malay Archipelago generally, Burma, Eastern India to Ceylon.

Nidification unknown. Buturlin says that it breeds in Eastern Siberia, North to 60° Lat. and considerably further South inland.

Habits. This little Stint occurs in great numbers in Burma and Eastern India from September to March or the middle of April, often collecting in large flocks, whilst, at other times, they associate with other small Waders. In Assam I found them common on the muddy shores of swamps and also in the rice-fields. It has a shrill piping cry, which it utters as it rises and sometimes whilst running rapidly from one spot to another as it feeds in the mud.

 

Tringa subminuta Middendorff, Sibirische Eeise, vol. ii (2), p. 222,1851: Siberia.

Pisobia subminuta boweri Mathews, Emu, vol. xvi, p. 35, 1916: North-West Australia.

Tringa, Leimonites, Pisobia damacensis of recent authors.

 

(2157) Erolia subminuta.

 

After " Siberia," in the reference, add " ii, p. 222."