ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Monthly challenge to test and improve your bird identification skills.
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Neil Fitzgerald
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ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Sat Jul 31, 2010 10:36 pm

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Answers for this challenge are due by replying to this topic by midnight (NZST) on Saturday 14 August 2010.

Click here for the rules.

Answers will not be visible to anyone else until after the closing date.

The winner of the 2010-2011 ID Quiz will get one free place on a scheduled Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ pelagic trip. Also, each person who enters goes into the draw to win a pair of Nikon Travelite V 8x25CF binoculars, thanks to Photo & Video International!

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SuzGuc
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby SuzGuc » Sun Aug 01, 2010 4:15 am

Challenge # 2
Mongolian dotterel, nonbreeding plumage

SGucciardo, USA
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tim
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby tim » Sun Aug 01, 2010 8:04 am

Large sand dotterel
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby barees63 » Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:08 am

Mongolian Plover
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philbattley
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby philbattley » Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:16 pm

What name would you like?

Large Sand Dotterel?
Greater Sand Plover?

Take your pick. I think I recognise that very bird!

And Bar-tailed Godwits in the background for a bonus point?

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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby Byrd » Sun Aug 01, 2010 6:33 pm

hmmm, another wader.....

well, obviously a Charadrius or related plover, so that's a start. Lack of white neck-collar rules out ringed plover (C.hiaticula), facial pattern rules out black-fronted dotterel (C. melanops), head and breast patterning rules out red-kneed dotterel (E.cinctus), shape of bill and length of legs rules out shore plover (T.novaeseelandiae), dark plumage and strong face pattern rules out NZ dotterel (C.obscurus), and the size of the bill and length of legs rules out red-capped dotterel (C.ruficapillus) and banded dotterel (C.bicinctus); so that only leaves lesser sand plover (C.mongolus) and large sand plover (C.leschenaultii) which given the huge bill are really the only two candidates anyway.

Of those two species the large sand plover has distinctly longer lower legs and a much larger/longer bill with a more tapered tip.

Answer: large sand plover Charadrius leschenaultii
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craigsteed
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby craigsteed » Sun Aug 01, 2010 7:59 pm

Hmmm, I'm going to go with Large Sand Dotterel.
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby David Lawrie » Sun Aug 01, 2010 8:19 pm

Large Sand Dotterel or Greater Sand Plover
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby eric_dl » Sun Aug 01, 2010 8:56 pm

It's my first time posting and first shot at taking a guess but I would say its a juv shore plover.
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simon.fordham
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Re: ID Challenge #2 - closes 14 August 2010

Postby simon.fordham » Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:49 am

Charadrius of course but could be obscurus, mongolus or leschenaultii.

However, beak proportionally too long for either of the latter two so I will go for NZ Dot (Charadrius obscurus).

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