45 



KEY TO SHOREBIRDS (Cont.) 



14 Shaft of outermost primary light brown on upper surface, outer web 

 of outermost primary whitish in contrast to much darker inner web; 

 tail with much orangish coloration; bill length 50-80 mm. 



COMMON SNIPE 



14' Shaft of outermost primary usually whitish over much of its length; 

 outer web of outermost primary dark as in inner web; tail not ex- 

 tensively orange. 15 



15 Inner half of upper wing with white or golden spots. 16 

 15' Inner half of upper wing not spotted. 18 



16 Front half of underwings (underwing coverts) brownish-gray; upper wing 

 often with yellow or golden spots; tail dusky, irregularly barred 

 with grayish-white or gray and yellowish; bill swollen dorsal ly near 



tip (Plate 20-6). AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER 



16' Front half of underwings white with gray and brown barring; much of 

 tail whitish with dusky barring; bill not swollen dorsally near tip. 



17 



17 Wing length >175 mm; bill length >47 mm. GREATER YELLOWLEGS 

 17' Wing <175 mm; bill <47 mm. LESSER YELLOWLEGS 



18 Wing 160-190 mm; gray or white-tipped gray feathers dominate front 

 half of underwing; tail and rump uniformly slate-gray. 



WANDERING TATTLER 



18' Wing <160 mm; white feathering conspicuous in some areas on front 



half of underwing; tail and rump not as in 18. 19 



19 Inner secondaries with conspicuous white zig-zagging bars; bill 

 length >50 mm; tail barred white and black. 



LONG-BILLED or SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER 



19' Wings and bill not as above. 20 



20 Central tail feathers mouse gray, outer tail feathers irregularly 

 barred on inner web; toes lobed, margined laterally with conspicuous 

 membrane (Plate 37-6); breast never streaked, spotted or barred but 

 occasionally washed with gray or brown. WILSON'S PHALAROPE 



