Large. Plump, with rounded wings, long bill. Sexes alike.
Adults: Face, chin, brownishbuff. Lores, bar on cheek, blackish-brown. Crown, brown with three broad dark brown bars across the crown. Chin, throat, pale buff with no barring. Eyering, white crescents above and below eye, with bare patch of pink skin behind eye. Eye, dark brown, very large. Back, scapulars, lesser coverts, grey-brown, with oval spots darker, lacking pale centers, with narrow brown bands. Triangular orange-brown patches separate dark spots at leading edge of flight feathers. Outer webs of scapulars, tan, outlined with pale rufous, forming two parallel lines down back. Lower back, rump, uppertail coverts, barred dark brown, tan and rufous. Tail, blackish with rufous notches. Uppertail coverts, underparts, barred. Wing coverts barred with light brown and pale rufous. Bill, pinkish-grey, with a dark tip. Legs, pinkish-grey.
Other Names (World)
Amami Woodcock, Ryukyu Woodcock
Family
Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Snipes, Phalaropes)
Voice
A sharp 'je je' or 'vett vet-vett' uttered on taking light. Snip-like 'jheet' and louder, duck-like 'ghett!' uttered in spring. High-pitched 'vuu' uttered in flight. During ground display a strong 'gu' and softer 'he' calls.
Amami Woodcock (Scolopax mira) [XC786232]
by Ken Ishida from Amami, Kagoshima, Japan (song)
Amami Woodcock (Scolopax mira) [XC363836]
by id from Mt Yuwan Junction, Amami, Japan (song)
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), of which often considered a subspecies.
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
Similar size. Upperparts lighter, oval spots lighter. Lacks bare patch of skin behind eye. Eyering, white and encircling. Legs, greyish brown or pinkish brown.
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet