Saturday 29 November 2014

Actitis hypoleucos (Common Sandpiper) - Sikkim Bird

Actitis hypoleucos (Common Sandpiper)

Venue: Sirwani, Singtam,  South Sikkim

Date: February 16 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan





Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Animalia
Phylum:          Chordata
Class:             Aves
Subclass:        Neornithes
Infraclass:      Neognathae
Superorder:   Neoaves
Order:            Charadriiformes
Superorder:   Neoaves
Family:           Scolopacidae
Genus:            Actitis
Species:           A. hypoleucos
Binomial name: Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758)

Other Names:  Common Sandpiper

Special feature:  This bird and its American sister species, the Spotted Sandpiper, make up the genus Actitis.

In the Nukumanu language of the Nukumanu Islands (Papua New Guinea), this species is usually called tiritavoi. Another Nukumanu name for it, matakakoni, exists, but this is considered somewhat taboo and not used when children and women are around. The reason for this is that matakakoni means "bird that walks a little, then copulates", in reference to the pumping tail and thrusting head movements the Actitis species characteristically perform during foraging. (Source: Wikipedia)


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