WADER 49/60 - Swinhoe's Snipes 4/4

My  sifus says to be definate one must see the tips of the Snipes tail  to confirm whether it is the Pintail or the Swinhoe's. Basing on my "Bird bible" it longish flat tail and long billed and facial features I will take it as the Swinhoe's. There are sighting record in Malim Nawar

This is another bird roosting in the hot afternoon in the open .... do not know whether it is companion

WADER 10/60 - SNIPES 2/4 Common Snipes

Common Snipes

This Snipes was shot in Bidor - Malim Nawar watershed of tin mining ponds. During the migration season you can see plenty of them snipes but to establish its identity is such a task

WADER 11/60 - SNIPES 3/4 - Greater Painter Snipes

 Greater Painted Snipes

Playing peek a boo with me. I was in the car about 30 ft out to the edge of padi field. Took alot of photos but all the same as it kept very still for more than 20 minutes. Gave up waiting and left it be. Last time shoot the Female in flight. The Female is much better a looker.

Resident of Malaysia amongst SEA country India and Africa. Medium-sized, plump wading bird. About 24cm. Long reddish-brown bill, slightly decurved at tip, and distinct white or pinkish eye patch. Rounded, buff-spotted wings and short tail. White of breast extends up around top of folded wing. The Painted Snipe is not related to the true snipes and differs from them in habits, flight and appearance, being far more colorful and having longer legs than the snipes. It is unusual in showing reversed sexual dimorphism; the female is larger and more brightly colored than the male, with the sides of the head, neck and throat a rich chestnut brown, and a distinct black band across the breast; the male is paler and greyer. The females court the males, are possibly polyandrous with males incubating and raising the young as predicted by parental investment theory. Immature birds resemble the male but lack the broken dark band across the breast. Males are also known to carry the chicks to safety under the wings.

Not a vocal species; the male at times utters a shrill trill, while the female makes a guttural ook sound as well as hissing noises during breeding displays.

Usually found close to the fringes of reed beds along shorelines of marshes, swamps, ponds and streams. Solitary or in pairs, sometimes in groups of up to 12. Rather shy and retiring, skulking close to the vegetation so that it can retreat to cover if disturbed. When flushed, flies like a rail with legs dangling. Bobs hindquarters on landing and sometimes when walking. Probes for food in the mud. The female initiates courtship and may mate with more than one male. The male incubates the eggs. The feed on insects, crustaceans, molluscs and seeds.

The nest is usually a shallow scrape in soft ground, lined with plant material and situated among grass or reeds at the water's edge; sometimes a pad of vegetation or a nest of grass and weeds. The breeding season is between April and July.

WADER 9/60 - SNIPES 1/4 Pin-tailed Snipes

Pin-tailed Snipes

A winter visitor from up north. Sighting in Johor and southern part of Peninsula.

A very beautiful bird of about a foot with a shorter pointed beak compared to Swinhoe's or the Common. It has a shorted orangy pintail. Often found in dry part of Marshland, Paddy fields and in my case in a football field in Tioman isle !

There are many experts' description out there on the differences between Pintail Snipes and Swinhoe Snipes but most of them would end up with a suggestion of counting the number of its tail feathers to be exact or 100% sure.  However there are also experts out there who are confident that the differences can also be determined in flight. Using the matrix checklist procedure Rodney of ron-nature-adventure.blogspot.com have summarised his findings  to identify the different  snipes which can be seen in Malaysia

                                                                                Pintail         Common       Swinhoe

Characteristics: 

i) Zig zag flight patterns                                           Yes               Yes           More direct

ii) White trailing edge to secondaries                Almost none        Yes          Almost none

iii) Belly - white and unbarred                            More barred        Yes          More barred

iv) Brown on top with cream lines                      Pale brown         Yes          Pale brown

      down their back

v In flight legs extend beyond tail                             -                    Yes             Shorter