827. Motacilla leucopsis

827. Motacilla leucopsis.

The White-faced Wagtail.

Motacilla leucopsis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 78; Brooks, S. F. vii, p. 139; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 519; id. Cat. no. 590; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 313; Oates, B. B. i, p. 154; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 482; Barnes', Birds Bom. p. 235. Motacilla luzoniensis (Scop.) apud Blyth, Cat. p. 137; Horsf. & M. Cat .i, p. 348; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 218; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 609. Motacilla felix, Swinh. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 121.

Dhobin, Hind.; Tangzhenfleu, Lepch.

Coloration. In normal full summer plumage the whole upper plumage, scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts are deep black except the forehead and the anterior portion of the crown, which, with the sides of the head and neck, cheeks, chin, and upper throat, are pure white ; lower throat, fore neck, and upper breast deep black; remainder of lower plumage white ; median and greater wing-coverts entirely white except a small portion of the inner webs; quills black, a large portion of the inner webs white and the outer webs margined with white; the four middle pairs of tail-feathers black, the others white.

In normal winter plumage the whole back, scapulars, rump, and shorter tail-coverts become grey; the lesser wing-coverts grey mixed with black; the black on the lower throat and fore neck gives place to white, and the black on the upper breast is reduced to a crescentic patch.

The young in first plumage are like the adults in winter, but have the grey of the upper parts much paler and the crown, nape, and hind neck grey like the back; the head and lower plumage are suffused with yellow and the black patch on the breast is very small and ill-defined.

The summer plumage of the adult is probably assumed in the first spring, except in the case of the female, which appears to have the black of the crown and nape mixed with grey at first, probably during the whole of the first summer.

Bill black, bluish below; iris brown ; legs and claws dark brown or nearly black.

Length nearly 8; tail 3.6 ; wing 3.5 ; tarsus .85 ; bill from gape .75.

Distribution. A winter visitor to the eastern portion of the Empire from Assam down to Central Tenasserim. The western limit of this species appears to be Nepal on the Himalayas and Mirzapur in the plains. It is also found in the Andamans. This Wagtail is found throughout Eastern Asia, breeding in Eastern Siberia and China.