Twite

The Twite is a small passerine bird similar in appearance to its cousin, the Song Thrush, and distinguishing it, particularly juveniles in winter, is not obvious in the absence of adults. It is a rarity in France, to be looked for in winter on the coasts of the Channel, often in the company of the songthrush.
Unlike the latter, the Twite has a restricted sexual dimorphism. Only the rump is diagnostic, a pronounced pink in males, pale fawn in females.
The winter adult in fresh plumage, as observed in our country, has upper parts, from the beak to the tail, except for the rump, very striped with blackish brown. The wing coverts are brown, the middle ones slightly marked with beige at the tip. On the other hand, the large coverts are widely terminated with whitish beige, originating in a well-visible wing bar. The remiges and rectrices are brown. The inner primary remiges are narrowly bordered with white, which gives a visible white panel in the closed wing. The outer rectrices do likewise, resulting in white lines on each side of the tail.
The lower parts are white, tinged with russet on the sides and chest. The latter is well striped with blackish brown, the striping extending on the sides.
The head deserves attention as this justifies the French and Latin names of the species. Indeed, the beak is straw yellow with a black tip. The face (periphery of the eyes, sides of the beak, chin and throat) is rufous-fawn. The ear coverts are brown, lightly striped. The iris is very dark, almost black. The legs are dark.
At the end of the reproductive period, the plumage is very worn and has faded. It has become uniform because the stripes have faded a little. The bill has darkened, it has become grey on top with the base of the mandible yellowish.The juvenile is generally darker than the adults as its plumage is new. The face is less brightly coloured. The beak is pale. The wing shows two distinct beige-russet wing bars. This plumage is no longer suitable during the wintering in the south.