Snipe, Malaysia (March 2018) (1 Viewer)

[opisska]

Looking at Oman Snipes made me reconsider an older record from Malaysia. Sadly, there are not really any sharp pictures, but from those that exist, it looks to me as if the bird had the Common Snipe's white trailing edge to secondaries while also having the Pin-tailed Snipe's uniformly barred underwing. The legs also look rather long w.r.t tail and I think the coverts are also more Pin-tailed-like? So is the trailing edge just a false impression due to blurry pictures?

 

[gerdwichers8]

the outer 'fringes' to the secondaries in Asian Snipe sp. are white and distinguisable from the gradually paler character towards the tip.
This fading zone is even found broader than the strongly contrasting white band to the wing of a Common Snipe. Secondaries to an Asian Snipe sp. appear rather translucent which it doesn't so easily in Common Snipe. I think the proximal half to the secondaries is darker in a Common snipe but it still might be subject to the strong contrast whithin its secondaries. Usually it has even a little stronger dark pigmentation where the dark proximal half changes in the broad white terminal top to the feather.

 

[lou salomon]

ergo: "swintail snipe"

 

[opisska]

Is Swinhoe's really in the game here? According to the two-arm book (WP handbook), it's moreorless excluded by how much the legs extend beyond the tail.

 

[Brian J Small]

https://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V96/V96_N04/V96_N04_P178_198_A002.pdf

"the identification of Pintail Snipe and Swinhoe’s Snipe has been oversimplified in the literature, and most individuals are not safely identifiable in the field owing to the overlap in size, structure and plumage."

Brian

 

[gerdwichers8]

These photo's and others alike often relate to birds that either just have taken off or are about to land. The position of legs to tail are subject to much variation anyhow.
The name of Pin-tail Snipe Gallinago stenura has to do with its tail.
To me it appears that the name in modern times has shifted its application.
In the past, Common Snipe was called 'Fan-tailed Snipe' and 'stenura' referes to a 'narrow' tail.
In fish, a stenura is the very tight connection to the tailfin (as in mackerel).
The applicaton nowadays refers to the outer pin-shaped tailfeathers.

Intuitively, while seeing the bird it's impossible to ignore the combination of both narrow tail and protruding spear-point feet and not to apply it as such (like e.g. the duck Pintail)
But in modern times that has ended and one has to tell the bird from Swinhoe's
..ehm often NOT!

 

[opisska]

Oh well then, another of those "species" that noone can identify. I have had enough with those and it will just go to the list as "either" - I am happy as long as is seems that y'all agree it's not Common :-]