Mystery Calidris

[JanJ]

What are your thoughts about this Calidris, is it as mysterious as said here?

http://shorebirds.exblog.jp/

JanJ

[Nathan Kipling]

I don't have experience of the species in the field but looking at the Pacific Calidris plates in Lars Jonsson's book it matches a juvenile Baird's which if it occurs in Japan is a possibility which it is not stated has been considered.

[Vermfly]

That's an odd looking bird. It looks like it could be a Baird's but it looks a little odd.

[RichB]

The Shorebird Guide (O'Brien, Crossley & Karlson) has some excellent photos of hybrids so anything seems possible. A presumed White-rumped x Buff-breast for example...

Anyway this bird, my guess, would be a hybrid as the link suggests and I'd be looking perhaps towards Baird's x Dunlin or perhaps even Baird's x Pectoral. It would be interesting to know the size of the bird. The bird seems to be a juvenile: -
-rather long-legged (Pec?)
-fine streaking on the foreflanks (Hudsonia Dunlin?)
-long-winged (Baird's?)
-upper scaps with rufous edging (Pec?)
-the majority of scaps and coverts are broadly pale edged (Baird's?)
-pale throatal area extending to feathering at lower mandible (Baird's?)
-rufous cap (Dunlin/Pec?)
-bill is decurved and outside the range for Baird's. Being jet black with a lack of pale base would be more akin to Dunlin than Pec?

Here's an interesting hybrid Shorebird article:-
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/WayneRichardson.Sandpiper.html

Given that the photo I presume was taken in Japan, a remarkable and very interesting bird whatever it is.

[Brian S]

This has a lot of potential to make yourself look daft, but I quite like the Long-toed Stint/Pec sand hybrid idea. I'd like to see the rump (that's my chat up line!).

Brian S

[Colin Key]

I am not averse to looking daft, but I do not see much more than Dunlin in this 'mystery' bird. This shot (taken first week in September):

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/Passarinhos/0C0J2460a.jpg

is more typical of a juvenile Dunlin in that the dark spots extend well down the belly and onto the flanks, but I have seen juvs. which have even darker bellies as well as some which are much paler and more "Pectoral-like" like the Japanese bird.

Colin

[Jrhough1]

The bird is definitely odd and without being quick to throw the hybrid towel in, this is what it seems to be. I can't gauge size, but it seems small (ie. stint-ish) as opposed to Dunlin/Pec. It's not a Dunlin based on bill shape underpart pattern and upperpart feather pattern, etc.

I would hazard a guess that Pec is one of the parents, but the pattern of the upperscaps and the breast pattern and overall jizz seems odd for a Pec.

Not sure what the color of the legs are but the middle toe compared to bill length is quite long.

Long-toed x Pec may not be far off the mark, but I can't get much further with the id.

[forktail]

Long-toed x Pec may not be far off the mark, but I can't get much further with the id.

I agree Julian, it seems to have something of a Long-toed look about it, difficult to say much from the pix but it has that elongated 'peering' quality about it. The bill doesn't appear to have any pale area at the base and the legs appear dark but they do look to be long in the tibia?, although again it's hard to be sure. The leg colour and bill colour would mitigate against a Pec LTS as both have pale legs and pale bills. To get the bill length and colour presumably something more like a DunlinxLTS (or Pec?)? is involved

[Sean Cole]

The bird looks mostly like a Dunlin, but it does seem to have a primary extension beyond the tail. Leg colour is hard to determine but appears greyish on the non-muddy parts? It certainly does have a Pect/Long-toed look about it from the front though.

Surely a hybrid of some kind?

Sean

[Colin Key]

I can't gauge size, but it seems small (ie. stint-ish) as opposed to Dunlin/Pec. It's not a Dunlin based on bill shape .......

Julian,

If you state that you cannot gauge the size, what is your criteria for saying it "seems small" (the only other adjacent bird, the plover, does not really help in any of these photos).

To say that " It's not a Dunlin based on bill shape" is just not on; bill size and shape in Dunlin is a non-starter as an I.D. factor.

Colin

[marklhawkes]

A subtly odd bird. I would go with other that it seems to have some Pectoral-type qualities (the crown colour, and sharply demarked breast streaking, bill shape and length, long legs). Is this another variation of Cox's Sandpiper (Pec x Curlew Sandpiper)?

[REDBACKEDSHRIKE66]

:certifiable:Red necked stint perhaps? I'm knot very good on waders!:laugh:

[alan lewis]

Dunlin x longtoed stint would seem to capture most of the features; The "face" looks so Dunlin like I can't believe that it isn't one of the parents. Scap pattern, crown colour, (apparent) size etc would be explained by LTS. I don't see baird's in there at all.

alan