Scolopax rusticola Plover family. Aliases Big Water Row, Mountain Sand Cone, Mountain Sand Sand.
Morphological characteristics: The tarzanta has a greyish-brown forehead, mixed with light blackish brown and ochre yellow spots. The crown and pillows are black with 3-4 irregular off-white or brownish-white transverse spots; they are embellished with brownish red; the hind neck is mostly grayish brown with narrow black-brown transverse spots; and a few hind necks are decorated with light brownish red and mixed with black. The upperparts are rusty red with black, black-brown, and gray-brown transverse spots and markings; the upper back and shoulders have large black patches. The flight feathers and coverts are dark brown with rusty red transverse spots and pale grayish yellow end spots. The outer side is darker, the inside is lighter, the earthy yellow is, and it is limited to the medial feather margin. The outer margins of the first primary flight feathers are pale milky yellow. The lower back , waist , and upper tail coverts have dark brown transverse spots. The tail feathers are dark brown with rusty red serrated transverse spots on the inside and outside, and the surface of the feathers is pale grayish brown and white underneath. The sides of the head are off-white or yellowish-white, with a few dark-brown spots. There is a black-brown stripe from the base of the mouth to the eye. The chin and throat are white, and the rest of the underparts are off-white, slightly stained brown, and densely covered with black-brown transverse spots. The axillary feathers are greyish white and densely covered with dark brown transverse spots.
Juveniles and adults have similar plumage , but the forehead is creamy white , the plumage is stained black , and the upperparts are brownish red , brighter than the adults. Dark spots are also less common in adults. The upper coverts of the tail are brown and do not have transverse spots. The chin is bare and has only down feathers. The rest are the same as the adult birds.
Diet: It feeds mainly on small invertebrates such as Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, insect larvae, earthworms, snails, etc., and sometimes also eats plant roots, berries and seeds.
Geographical distribution: Breeds in China in the Tianshan Mountains, Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in western Xinjiang. Breeding has also been reported in Hebei and Gansu. It winters in southern Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and the region south of the Yangtze River, as well as on Hainan Island, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Ecological habits: The hill sandpiper is mainly a winter migratory bird in China, and some summer migratory birds. Spring moved to Changbai Mountain in the northeast at the beginning of March and early April, and autumn moved south from early September to late October.
More nightly activities. During the day, he often lurks in the woods or grass, and at night and dusk he forages on nearby lakes, rivers, rice paddies and swamps. Hidden during the day. With the exception of breeding lakes, which can be seen at dusk for its courtship flight over the forest, it is generally difficult to see during the day. When in danger, they are forced to rise from the ground, and often fly only a short distance before falling into the grass or bushes on the ground. Flying with its mouth facing down, it flies fast and dexterously, and can constantly change direction through the woods during flight, but it looks bulky and shaky when flying. Sexually lonely, often living alone, not liking clusters. It also sings less, only during takeoff.
Breeding method: The breeding period is from May to July. Soon after arriving at the breeding grounds, the male begins courtship flight. Usually at dawn and early evening, when the sun is behind or before it rises, the male soars over the forest and makes a gentle and varied song to court the female. Then fall to the ground for mating. After mating, the male stays with the female until the female begins to incubate. Nests are found in broad-leaved and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, mostly on the edges of moist overhanging rocks where shrubs or herbaceous plants are well developed under the forest, or on small swampy wetlands and shrub-covered wet rocks. Nests are usually placed under shrubs or stumps and under fallen logs. It also often nests in grass. The nest is built by the female. Usually, dead branches and leaves next to small shrubs are used as the base of the nest, and a small circular pit is formed, and then the hay and leaves are laid. The size of the nest is about 15 cm in diameter, and each clutch usually lays 4 eggs, occasionally 3 and 5, and even as many as 6. The eggs are pear-shaped and ovoid in shape, ochre or dark sand pink in color, and dorsally with rust-colored or dark brownish-red spots. The size of the eggs is 42-44× 31-34 mm. The female incubates the eggs. The incubation period is 23±1 day.
Source: Heilongjiang Huzhong National Nature Reserve