Swinhoe's Snipe
The Waldbekassine ( Gallinago megala ) is a medium- sized species of the family of the Waders ( Scolopacidae ). Their breeding areas ranging from southern Siberia south to Mongolia; another enclave there in the far east of Russia on the Ussuri. The wintering areas extending from southern and eastern Asia to northern Australia. The species is very similar to the Spießbekassine and is to be distinguished in the field only sure of this, if the bird spreads its tail.
Description
The Waldbekassine is 27-29 cm body length slightly larger than a snipe, the beak with 54-72 mm relatively little shorter. He is dark brown at the base brownish or grayish green, at the top. The wing length is 139-155 mm, tail length 48-57 mm. The relatively long legs are greenish or greenish yellow. The iris is brown.
The Waldbekassine shows how many species of a coarse stripe pattern on head and back. The head pattern is formed in beige stripe apex, apex dark brown, beige stripe over eyes, dark eye stripe and bridle and a dark dash that condenses on the otherwise bright ear-coverts. The throat is whitish, neck and chest are dashed brownish, with the dashing to the sides of breast and flanks in a coarser pattern of banded feathers passes. The harness is continued on the under tail-coverts. Posterior chest and belly are white. The shoulder and back plumage is blackish brown with rust-colored drawings in the centers. Yellowish beige seams form a strip pattern on the upper side. The upper wing surface is mostly dark brown to blackish with yellowish beige lined and partly banded coverts, a bright, narrow wing band, which is made of top seams of the big arm and the inner coverts and a barely visible, bright trailing edge. The under wing-coverts are whitish ground almost everywhere and relatively fine dark brown banded.
Main determining feature of the type and only reliable distinction to Spießbekassine is the tail, which usually consists of ten, nine, or more rarely up to thirteen feathers. While the outer, rather narrow feathers on dark gray -brown ground light bespitzt and are broad banded, the pattern breaks down on the inner pairs in a very dark brown base, a broad rusty brown band on the distal quarter, a dark brown Subterminalbinde and a yellowish beige to whitish bottom seams. In contrast to Spießbekassine the outer feathers are 20 mm and not narrowed sharply away 2-4 mm wide from the top.
The Waldbekassine is in size between two very similar species, the larger Japanbekassine ( Gallinago hardwickii ) and the smaller Spießbekassine. From the snipe ( Gallinago gallinago ) they differ by the area-wide banded under wing-coverts, the most very bright, narrow wing trailing edge and the reins Streif, is narrower at the base than the beak there quite wide eyes over the plain. The Japanbekassine differs from the other two Asian species by size and proportions, significantly prolonged shield springs and a longer tail.
Way of life
The Waldbekassine populated semi-open landscapes in river valleys, where it breeds on somewhat drier sites than the sympatric occurring snipe. The breeding season is between May and August. Especially at dusk the Balzflüge of the male can be observed. In these circles there singing in great High and can slide down then, with the splayed outer feathers produce a deep and long-drawn, whinnying sound of two alternating tones of different heights.
Hiking
The Waldbekassine is a migratory bird, the South and Southeast Asia as well as Australasia's winter in the tropical region. The winter range extends from southern and eastern India, southern China and Taiwan over the Philippines, Micronesia and the Western New Guinea to northern Australia. They overlap widely with those of Spießbekassine. The Waldbekassine but east of the Philippines a much more frequent winter visitor, than the latter. The arrival in the Australian winter quarters is around November, the return migration takes place mainly through mid-April.