"Adult in winter plumage.--General color above ashy brown, mottled with whitish edges to the feathers, which are freckled and subterminally lined with darker brown, the shafts being also well marked; scapulars clearer ashy gray, with an interrupted subterminal line of blackish brown; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white; exterior wing-coverts uniform blackish brown; median and greater covers lighter brown, fringed with white; alula, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, the latter fringed with white at the end of the inner webs; secondaries ashy brown, edged with white, innermost long secondaries spotted with black on the margins; tail white, center feathers crossed with regular but somewhat interrupted bars of brown, outer feathers with a few broken spots and bars of brown on outer webs; crown and hind neck grayish brown, the feathers edged with white, imparting a streaked appearance, more marked on the head; forehead, lores, and sides of face pure white; sides of neck and upper margin of ear-coverts narrowly streaked with ashy brown; entire under surface pure white; sides of upper breast irregularly freckled with brown; under wing-coverts white, with a subterminal bar of brown, or a central arrowhead line of the latter color; axillars white, with a few remains of brown spots; lower primary-coverts ashy, with whitish edgings; quills below ashy, the lateral markings of the secondaries indicated below. 'Bill and feet light slate-color; iris dark brown.' (Ayres.) Length, 330; culmen, 56; wing, 183; tail, 60; tarsus, 55. "Adult male in breeding plumage.--Of a more ruddy brown than in the winter plumage and with black centers to feathers of upper surface; head and neck streaked with black; sides of face white, narrowly streaked with black; below white, lower throat, fore neck, and chest with numerous ovate spots of black; flanks with a few irregular bars of black; under wing-coverts and axillars white barred with black, bars on the latter somewhat interrupted; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts white, lateral coverts barred with black; two center tail-feathers ashy gray, slightly freckled with dusky, and notched with black on the margins; remainder of tail-feathers white barred with blackish, the bars becoming more irregular on the lateral feathers, which have distinct bars only on the outer webs. 'Bill blackish brown, lighter brownish gray toward base, especially on lower jaw; feet yellowish gray, joints bluish.' (Stejneger.) Length, 305; culmen, 53; wing, 190; tail, 76; tarsus, 56. "Adult female.--Similar to the male in color. 'Bill blackish brown, basal half lighter, on upper mandible with a bluish, on lower one with a reddish-gray tinge; feet dirty olive-gray, joints darker and more bluish gray.' (Stejneger.)