Adult Plumage:
Summer Plumage: Forehead and feathers at the base of the beak are mottled with black, white, and rufous. Area in front of and above the eyes is pale white. Crown is pale black, with each feather edged in rufous. Hindneck is rufous-brown, speckled with pale black and pale gray. Upper back is rufous, speckled with black, pale gray, and pale white. Rump and upper tail coverts are white with pale black, slightly rufous, transverse bars. Underparts are reddish-brown with feathers slightly edged in white; belly is speckled with white. Undertail coverts are white, pale rufous, with dark brown transverse streaks. Primary feathers and greater coverts are pale blackish-brown. Terminal greater coverts have white tips; other coverts are grayish-brown with paler edges. Central tail feathers are brown; outer tail feathers are grayish-brown with pale white shafts and narrow edges.
Winter Plumage: Eyes and area above the eyes are pale white. Upperparts are gray-brown; neck and nape are paler. Rump and upper tail coverts are white. Underparts are white, with a gray wash on the lower neck and breast. Tail feathers are pale brown with pale white edges. Eyes are brown. Beak is black, slightly curved downwards. Legs are pale gray or black.
Measurements:
- Wing: 123 – 133 mm; Tail: 42 – 51 mm; Tarsus: 28 – 32 mm; Bill: 33 – 43 mm.
Distribution:
This species is distributed in Siberia; it migrates south in winter to Africa, South Asia, and Australia. In Vietnam, this species is rare, occasionally encountered in the coastal regions of central and southern Vietnam.