Bécassine des marais (Gallinago gallinago, Common Snipe)

gallina = la poule, gallinago = la bécassine en latin médiéval

© Alain Fossé

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 gallinago/faeroeensis, 15 août 2013, Soulaire-et-Bourg

 gallinago/faeroeensis, 6 octobre 2009, étang de Chevigné

 gallinago/faeroeensis, 6 octobre 2009, étang de Chevigné

#1, juvénile, Michael Schmitz : This bird is clearly a juvenile. It is moulting its tertials late as juveniles do. The visible tertial is a remaining juvenile feather. The median coverts are juvenile too. The scapulars are already renewed and show the broad beige fringes typical for adult feathers.

#2, juvénile, Michael Schmitz : These pictures are not very sharp and thus make ageing difficult. The clear-cut dark subterminal band of the tertials, the narrow cream white tip and the dark shaft streak point to a juvenile. The median coverts look adult type, but can well be new at this time of the year. I would conclude that this is a juvenile too.

#3, adulte, Michael Schmitz : This should be an adult (tertials, median coverts), but again the pictures are not very sharp. It might as well be a first year with completed moult.

#4, adulte, Michael Schmitz : In this bird it´s interesting to see that it shows two different generations of coverts (best seen on the second pic): abraded old lesser and median coverts and one fresh median covert. This is typical for an adult, though it is moulting late. The tertials are also adult type.

#5, juvénile ? Michael Schmitz : The only visible tertial has the clear-cut dark subterminal band and cream white tip of a juvenile, the late timing of moult also pointing in that direction. The scapulars are new, but I can´t see much of the coverts, probably rather first year.:

#6 & 7, adultes

deux (adultes ?) gallinago/faeroeensis, 28 février 2005, Soulaire-et-Bourg

#1 :

#2 :