English: Long-billed Dowitcher       

Russian: Американский бекасоведный веретенник

Mongolian: Хараалжин цууцил, Хараалжин цууцаль

German: Grosser Schlammlaufer

French: Becassin a long bec

Japanese:  オオハシシギ (O-hashi-shigi)

Body length: 27-30 cm.
Wing span: 42-49 cm.

Breeds in N American and E Siberia. Vagrant to Europe; several records annually in Britain & Ireland.

Identification: Dowitchers are Snipe-sized, with shape, actions and plumage suggesting cross between Snipe and Bar-tailed Godwit; very long bill, prominent supercilium, greenish moderate-length legs and (in flight) thin white ‘slit’ up back and prominent whitish trailing edge to wing. Typical of dowitchers is that blunt-tipped bill is a fraction decurved distally. Given good views, identification of juveniles straight-forward, but adult summer and adult winter difficult, often requiring diagnostic voice to confirm. Bull lengths overlap extensively, and useful only for extremes: twice head length or more indicates Long-billed, about 1 ½ times head length indicates Short-billed; on Long-billed black bars on tail-feathers broader than light bars, on Short-billed black bars narrower than light bars (those with equal-width bars are indeterminate).

• Adult summer: Underparts 9often except undertai-coverts) rusty-orange, including belly, with dense spotting on foreneck and upper breast, and strong barring or transverse blotching on breast-sides, flanks and undertail-coverts.
• Adult winter: Flank barring and whole breast grey, with rather abrupt border against white belly.
• Juvenile: Tertials, greater coverts and scapulars solidly dark-centred, with neat (sometimes finely scalloped) whitish or rufous fringes (or sometimes small internal markings near tips).