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)