From Opus

Photo by lostinjapan
Location: Oahu, Hawaii

Alternative name: Kioea¹

Numenius tahitiensis

Identification

Very similar in size and shape to Whimbrel but pale unbarred rump and voice are distinctive.

43cm. Buff spotted brown upper parts, light belly, rust or buff tail, buff-orange rump, long, decurved bill, bristled feathers at base of legs.

Distribution

Breeds on the lower Yukon River and the Seward Peninsula in western Alaska. Winters in Micronesia, Fiji, Tonga, Hawaii, American Samoa, and French Polynesia. Accidental vagrant along the pacific coast of Canada and the United States, and in Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Taxonomy

A monotypic species.

Habitat

Breeds in coastal tundra.

Behaviour

The diet includes insects, flowers and berries, and other birds' eggs.

They nest in ground depressions, lined with tundra moss. 4 greenish brown spoted eggs are laid, and are incubated for 25 days; both parents care for the young. The adults migrate southwards when the chicks are about 5 weeks old; the chicks continue to feed and make the journey later.

References

1. Not to be confused with Kioea, Chaetoptila angustipluma.

External Links

• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages