So far I have been unable to find this described in the literature, but would like to throw this out. On Saturday I went to Chincoteague for the Black-tailed Godwit. The bird in question is in basic plumage which is rather similar to Hudsonian, and indeed, the bird was first identified as such. Only when it revealed the white underwings and tail pattern was the error realized. As it turns out, other structural clues are available, i.e. the adjacent Marbled Godwits. The bird is only slightly smaller, while a Hudsonian should be noticeably smaller. The straight and largely orange bill is another clue. But after looking in the Big Sibley, O'Brien, Crossley, and Karlson's Shorebird Guide, and Message and Taylor's Shorebird of North America, Europe, and Asia I noticed that the Hudsonian shows a good deal more primary extension than Black-tailed. In fact, it seems to me the Hudsonian is more "long-winged" than Black-tailed. So I'd like to offer this up as yet another possible field mark for use when the bird just refuses to fly and give the diagnostic underwing pattern.
Reply off topic, or forward to those much smarter than me for comment.
Pics of the Black-tailed are on my Flickr site at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63381646@N02/
Kurt Schwarz Ellicott City, HowCo Goawaybird at verizon dot net
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