1431. Sarcogrammus indicus.
The Red-wattled Lapwing.
Tringa indica, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 50 (1783). Parra goensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 706 (1788). Lobivanellus goensis, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 33; Blyth, Cat. p. 261; Irby, Ibis, 1861, p. 237 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 648 : Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p. 390; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 70; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 273; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 424. Lobivanellus indicus, Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 251 ; Hume, N. & E. p. 574; id. S. F. i, p. 232 ; Adam, ibid. p. 394 ; Ball, S. F. iii, p. 209; vii, p. 227; Butler, S. F. iv, p. 14 ; ix, p. 427; Hume, & Inglis, S. F. v, p. 45 ; Hume & Bourd. S. F. vii, p. 39; Hume, ibid. p. 67; Cripps, ibid. p. 300; Hume, Cat. no. 855 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 352 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 962 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 82; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 95; Scully, ibid. p. 587; Reid, S. F. x, p. 66; Davison, ibid. p. 413; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 334; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 22; Seebohm, Charadr. p. 184; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 170 ; Oates, in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 340; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 139. Sarcogrammus indicus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 149.
Titiri, H., also Titai, Titi, Tituri in various parts;, Titavi, Mabr.; Yennapa Chitawa, Tel.; Al-kati, Tam.; Kiralla, Kibulla, Cing. "Did-you-do-it" of Anglo-Indians.
Coloration. Head, neck, and upper breast black, except a broad white band from each eye, including the ear-coverts and passing down the side of the neck to join the white of the lower parts; this band expands below, and the black of the hind neck becomes narrow where it joins on to the light brown, glossed with green bronze and slightly washed with red, of the back, scapulars, and tertiaries; lower back darker and duller; wing-coverts like the back but strongly washed with glossy lilac-red; ends of greater secondary coverts, bases of most of the secondaries, and the whole of one of the later quills white, forming a wing-bar - primary-coverts, primaries, and greater part of secondaries black ; sides of lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts white; tail white, with a broad black subterminal band; tips of middle feathers brown, of the others white, the middle feathers have also a brown inner border to the black band; lower parts from breast pure white.
Young birds have the black replaced by brown, the chin and throat white, and the white band down each side of the neck sullied.
Bill red at the base, tip black ; eyelid and wattle lake-red; irides red-brown; legs bright yellow (Jerdon).
Length 13; tail 4.5 ; wing 9; tarsus 3 ; bill from gape 1.5.
Distribution. Resident throughout India and Ceylon in the plains, extending on the east to Sylhet and Cachar, but not recorded from Upper Assam. To the westward this Lapwing ranges to Southern Persia and to Muscat in Arabia, and it is found at low elevations within the North-western Himalayas, amongst other places in Kashmir, and as a rare straggler at Gilgit.
Habits, &c. The Red-wattled Lapwing is a familiar and noisy bird, and most of its vernacular names are given in imitation of its cry, which is well expressed by the English " pity-to-do-it." It is met with in open ground, often near water, generally in pairs or single, more rarely in scattered flocks. It lays in a small hollow the usual four yellowish eggs blotched with brown, between March and August, chiefly in April, May, or June. The eggs measure on an average 1.64 by 1.2.
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