270 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



British Isles south to Mediterranean and Islands, Canaries 

 (occasional) and Asia to China. Winters in Africa from N.W. 

 Africa and Egypt south to Cape and from S. Asia to Australia. 



Tringa alpiiia alpina L. Dunlin. Fr. Becasseau 

 variable ; Ger, Alpenstrandliiufer ; Ital. Piovanello pancia nera ; 

 Swed. Kiirrsnappa. 



^ $ adult summer. Above black with broad chestnut margins, 

 inner secondaries mostly white, centre of rump brown, sides 

 white ; beneath, throat and chest white streaked black, breast 

 black, abdomen white. Bill slightly decurved, black. Legs and. 

 feet black. In winter, above grey brown with faint dark shaft 

 streaks ; beneath dull white faintly streaked pale brown on chest. 

 Wing ^ 107-118, $ 1 10-121. Tarsus $ 23-26, ? 24-27. Bill 

 $ 25-30, ? 26-33. Young : above dark brown with narrow 

 rufous margins, neck washed with buff, breast white striated brown. 



Breeds. — Greenland, Spitzbergen, Iceland, Faroes, British 

 Isles, Continental Europe from Denmark, Holland, and German 

 Coast, and Russia from Moscow and Perm north to Arctic Coast ; 

 Islands of Kolguev, Dolgoi, Waigatz, Nova Zembla. Migratory ; 

 occurs on passage throughout Europe. Many winter in Britain 

 and S.W. European Coasts ; also Mediterranean Basin ; and on 

 the east side of Africa south to Mozambique, on the west side 

 to Canaries and Madeira. 



Birds from British Isles, Germany, Holland, and Denmark 

 have been distinguished as "T. a. schinzi" Brehm by Schioler on 

 account of darker russet markings on back and less black on breast 

 than typical northern race, but the distinction seems untenable. 



A doubtful race "T. a. pusilla" (Falk) is described as breeding 

 from the Petchora River eastwards into Siberia. It is somewhat 

 larger, especially in the bill. Wing averages longer than in 

 typical form and in ? reaches 125. Tarsus $ 24-26, ? 25-29. 

 Bill ^ 29-34, ? 30-35. This race occurs in winter in the Eastern 

 Mediterranean but many come west at that season and it appears 

 to be in British Isles as plentiful in winter as typical "alpina." 

 Another race, lighter coloured in summer, " T. a. sakhalina " 

 (Vieillot) breeds in N.E. Siberia and N. America. It is distinctly 

 larger. Bill ^ 31-36, ? 34-42 (H.) and has occurred at Fair 

 Isle and probably elsewhere in Europe. 



