Eskimo Curlew. A description of the curlew seen in Covehead as based on our 
     
    

    
     field notes is as follows: 
     
    

    
     Size - The overall body size was only slightly larger than that of nearby 
     
     Lesser Yellowlegs or, approximately Greater Yellowlegs size. 
     
    

    
     Head Pattern — The sides of the crown were very dark in colour and divided by 
     
     a pale medium crown stripe. The median stripe was thin overall but 
     
     varied somewhat in width. Its edges were jagged but well defined and 
     
     not blended into the dark sides of the crown. Below the crown were 
     
     broad, pale supercilia. Below the supercilia, there were dark, 
     
     distinct eye stripes, beginning in the lores and extending towards the 
     
     back of the head. The rest of the head was pale and buff with fine 
     
     brown markings throughout. 
     
    

    
     Upperparts - The upperparts (scapulars, tertials, and wing coverts) were a 
     
     dark, brownish colour but edged with pale buff. The primaries appeared 
     
     dark. The length of the primaries in relation to tail length could not 
     
     be accurately determined as the grass obscured the view of these 
     
     features. 
     
    

    
     Underparts - The overall colour of the throat and breast was a pale buff, with 
     
     fine darker streaks interspersed throughout. The upper throat area was 
     
     an unmarked whitish colour. The view of most of the belly was partly 
     
     obscured by grass but appeared unmarked and pale whitish as compared to 
     
     the breast. In flight, the belly and undertail coverts definitely 
     
     proved to be unmarked and pale whitish. 
     
    

    
     Wings - In flight, the primaries were a dark grey and unmarked. The underwing 
     
     coverts were pale buffish overall, with finer darker markings 
     
     throughout. On the upperwings, the secondary coverts were similarly 
     
     extensively marked with pale buff. 
     
    

    
     Bill - The bill was down-curved and very short as compared to that of the 
     
     Whimbrel's. The bill appeared all dark in colour. 
     
    

    
     Legs - The legs were partly to mostly obscured, but appeared to be dark in 
     
     colour. 
     
    

    
     Calls - No calls were noted, neither when it was on the ground or when it 
     
     flushed. 
     
    

    
     The differences between the Little Curlew and Eskimo Curlew, as given by 
     
     Farrand (1977) and Moon (1983), and reviewed by Lehman and Dunn (1985), 
     
     include: 
     
    

    
     1. Both species have fine dark barring on the underwing 
     
    

    
     coverts and axillaries but the Little Curlew lacks 
     
     the rich cinnamon-buff base colour of the Eskimo 
     
     Curlew, and is instead a much paler buff or sandy 
     
     colour. 
     
    

    
     2. The Eskimo Curlew is more boldly and coarsely marked 
     
     below, with heavier streaking on the face and neck, 
     
     and dark chevrons on the breast and flanks; the 
     
     Little Curlew is more finely marked, with chevrons 
     
     being few in numbers and confined to the flanks. 
     
    
   
   
    
     3. The Little Curlew lacks the warn buffy or rusty 
     
     tones to the underparts shown in the Eskimo Curlew. 
     
    

    
     4. The Little Curlew has more distinctive crown 
     
     stripes. 
     
    

    
     5. The Little Curlew has a more extensive pinkish area 
     
    
   
   
    
     extending from the base of the lower mandible to or 
     
     beyond the middle of the bill, while the pinkish 
     
     area occupies less than one-half of the lower 
     
     mandible in the Eskimo Curlew. 
     
    

    
     6. In the hand, or a very close range, the rear surface 
     
     of the tarsus in the Little Curlew is covered by 
     
    
   
   
    
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