The Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) is a medium-sized wader. It is slightly larger and longer-legged than Eurasian woodcock, and may be conspecific.
| Amami woodcock | |
|---|---|
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| Stuffed specimen of Scolopax mira at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Scolopax |
| Species: | S. mira
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| Binomial name | |
| Scolopax mira Hartert, 1916
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This species is a restricted-range endemic found only in forests on Amami Oshima, Okinawa and Tokunoshima.[2] Consequently, due to the introduction of the invasive small Indian mongoose, their population is declining.[3] Insofar as its habits are known, they are similar to the Eurasian woodcock.
Taxonomy and systematics edit
The Amami woodcock was originally described as a subspecies of the Eurasian woodcock, due to a juvenile that resembled the Eurasian woodcock in coloration. Later, some argued that the Amami woodcock was a distinct species—Kobayashi in 1979 and Cramp & Simmons in 1983. Comparison between the two species revealed their distinct physical features, and led to the emergence of the Amami woodcock as a distinct species.[4]
References edit
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Scolopax mira". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22693056A93381144. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693056A93381144.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Van Gils, Jan; Wiersma, Popko; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Amami Woodcock (Scolopax mira), version 1.0". Birds of the World.
- ^ Ishida, K.; Murata, K.; Nishiumi, I.; Takahashi, Y.; Takashi, M. (2015). "Endemic Amami Jay, invasive Small Indian Mongoose, and other alien organisms: A new century investigation of island aliens towards improved ecosystem management". Journal of Ornithology. 156: 209–216. doi:10.1007/s10336-015-1250-1.
- ^ Brazil, Mark; Ikenaga, Hiroshi (December 1987). "The Amami Woodcock Scolopax mira: Its Identity and Identification" (PDF). Forktail.
Further reading edit
Shorebirds by Hayman, Marchant and Prater, ISBN 0-7099-2034-2
External links edit
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