A Manual of Philippine Birds. Richard C. McGregor
fulvous; axillars smoky brown, tipped with white as in summer. Bill dark brown; iris dark hazel-brown; legs plumbeous; claws horn-color. Length, 254; tail, 63; wing, 160; tarsus, 46; bill from gape, 28. The sexes are of about the same size.
“The golden plover frequents waste ground, grassy plains, and wet paddy-fields, and also the edges of rivers, and is generally met with in flocks of considerable size. It breeds in China, and also it is said in some parts of India, laying four eggs in a hollow lined with a few blades of grass. The eggs are yellowish blotched with blackish sepia.” (Oates.)
The Eastern golden plover is found in the Philippines on migration and is then usually in its gray winter dress but specimens have been taken with numbers of black feathers from the summer plumage.
Genus OCHTHODROMUS Reichenbach, 1852.
This genus should be united to Ægialitis from which its members differ only in being a little larger.
Species.
a1. Axillars and under wing-coverts white; wing about 140 mm.b1. Larger; culmen more than 23 mm. geoffroyi (p. 106)b2. Smaller; culmen less than 20 mm. mongolus (p. 107)
a2. Axillars and under wing-coverts smoky brown; wing about 165 mm. veredus (p. 108)
92. OCHTHODROMUS GEOFFROYI (Wagler).
LARGER SAND PLOVER.
Charadrius geoffroyi Wagler, Syst. Av. (1827), 61.
Ochthodromus geoffroyi Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 217; Hand-List (1899), 1, 153; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1902), 2, 20; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 23.
Ma-tang va-ca de collar, general name for small plovers.
Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter); Palawan (Everett, Lempriere, Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere Exp.); Pata (Mearns); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester). Japan, Formosa, and Hainan, south in winter to Africa, India, and Australia.
“Adult in breeding plumage.—Above light brown, with a slight olive-greenish gloss, wing-coverts like the back, with obsolete indications of paler fringes to some of the feathers, greater series tipped with white, forming a narrow wing-bar; alula, primary-coverts, and quills brown, primaries darker brown along their outer webs and at tips, shafts white; inner primaries with a white mark toward the base of outer web; secondaries brown, with white fringes to the end of outer web and white tips, shafts white, with a little extension along the sides of the shaft in the inner secondaries; innermost long secondaries like back, outer ones white along their outer web; rump and upper tail-coverts a little lighter and more ashy brown than the back, with white fringes to most of the feathers; sides of rump white; tail ashy brown with a broad white tip, a subterminal shade of darker brown, forming an obsolete, subterminal band; outer feathers with more or less white near base of inner web, outermost one almost entirely white, except for a slight shade of smoky brown and a slightly indicated subterminal shade of darker brown; hinder crown light brown, entirely surrounded by pale cinnamon-rufous, which occupies fore part of crown and extends down sides of neck round hinder neck, where it forms a broad collar of pale cinnamon-rufous; base of forehead white, followed by a narrow black band; lores black; feathers in front of and below the eye black; which unite with a black band along top of ear-coverts; sides of face and under surface of body white; across fore neck and chest a broad band of cinnamon-rufous or light chestnut, which extends a little way down the sides of upper breast; under wing-coverts, axillars, and quill-lining white. Length, 215; culmen, 25; wing, 140; tail, 51; tarsus, 37.
“Adult in winter plumage.—Differs from the summer plumage in wanting the rufous chest and in the absence of all facial markings. Above uniform brown, head like the back, hind neck paler and more ashy brown; lores, forehead, eyelid, and a broad eyebrow white; feathers below eye brown extending in a streak along ear-coverts; cheeks and entire under surface white, with a patch of brown on each side of upper breast. ‘Bill black; tarsus greenish gray or pale olive; toes dusky or blackish; iris brown.’ (Hume.)
“Young.—Similar to the adults in winter plumage, but dark brown, with faint edges of sandy buff to the feathers of upper surface; eyebrow and sides of face washed with sandy rufous, a strong shade of which color pervades chest and sides of upper breast.” (Sharpe.)
In winter plumage Ochthodromus geoffroyi and O. mongolus are very similar but the former may be recognized by its larger size and longer bill. In a male the wing measures 136; tail, 57; exposed culmen, 24; tarsus, 36; middle toe with claw, 24. Wing of a female, 140; tail, 55; exposed culmen, 24; tarsus, 37; middle toe with claw, 23.
93. OCHTHODROMUS MONGOLUS (Pallas).
LESSER SAND PLOVER.
Charadrius mongolus Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 3, 700.
Ochthodromus mongolus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 223; Hand-List (1899), 1, 153; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 23.
Ægialitis mongolica Grant, Ibis (1896), 126.
Basilan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead); Ticao (McGregor). Northern Asia, south in winter to China, Malay Archipelago, and Australia.
“Adult in breeding plumage.—Similar to O. geoffroyi, but smaller, bill and tarsus much shorter; a broader black line along sides of face; ear-coverts entirely black; the white throat separated from the rufous chest-band by a narrowly indicated line of black. ‘Bill black; feet somewhat bluish black, toes darker; iris dark brown.’ (Stejneger.) Length, 190; culmen, 19; wing, 127; tail, 53; tarsus, 30.
“Adult female in summer plumage.—Similar to the male, but less richly colored; rufous chest-band never so pronounced; facial markings less developed, the black bands on the forehead often obsolete. ‘Bill black; feet dark gray, with an olive tinge; toes darker, blackish; iris dark hazel.’ (Stejneger.) Length, 178; culmen, 20; wing, 140; tail; 47; tarsus, 30.
“Adult in winter plumage.—Differs from the summer plumage in wanting the facial markings and the rufous chest. Very similar to the winter plumage of O. geoffroyi, and distinguished chiefly by its smaller size, shorter bill, and shorter tarsus; there is also a little more brown on the ear-coverts.
“Young.—Similar to the adults in winter plumage, but darker brown, all the feathers edged with sandy brown; eyebrow, sides of face, and under surface of body with a strong tint of sandy buff. ‘Bill, angle of mouth, and ring round eyes black; legs clear gray; tarsus tinged with yellowish, toes with blackish, and soles with reddish; iris dark brown.’ (Stejneger.)
“The exact method by which the rufous chest of the summer plumage is gained is not easy to discover. In some specimens in winter dress there is a distinct narrow line of brown across the fore neck; in most of the series of skins in the Museum this is wanting, as it is also in young birds. It may therefore be a sign of