1433. Sarciophorus malabaricus.
The Yellow-wattled Lapwing.
Charadrius malabaricus, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 53 (1783). Charadrius bilobus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 691 (1788). Sarciophorus bilobus, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 33; Blyth, Cat. p. 261; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 649; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 165 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p. 390 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 251; Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 416; Morgan, Ibis, 1875, p. 323. Lobipluvia malabarica, Hume, N. & E. p. 577 ; Le Messurier, S. F. iii, p. 418 ; Butler, S, F. iv, p. 14 ; ix, p. 427; Bourdillon, S. F. vii, p. 39 ; Ball, ibid. p. 227 ; Hume, Cat. no. 856; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 966; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 82; Parker, ibid, p, 482 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 66; Davison, ibid. p. 319 ; Hume, ibid. p. 413; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 335; Oates in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 345 ; Barnes, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 23 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 130.
Zirdi, H.; Jithiri, N. W. P.; Chitawa, Tel.; Al-kati, Tam.
Coloration. Crown and nape black, bordered by a white streak from one eye to the other round the nape; chin black; sides of head, neck all round, upper breast, back, scapulars, tertiaries, and wing-coverts light brown; the brown of the upper breast with a blackish border ; greater secondary coverts tipped white, forming a wing-bar with the bases of the secondary quills, which increase on the later secondaries till the whole feather is white; primaries also white on inner web near the base; rest of primaries and secondaries, with primary-coverts, black; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers white, the middle rectrices with a broad subterminal black band which diminishes rapidly and disappears on the outer feathers, the median pair tipped brown, and brown on the inner portion of the black band, the others tipped white; lower parts from breast white.
Young birds have no black on the head, and the brown of the upper parts is banded paler.
Bill yellow at base, black at the tip ; lappet pale yellow; irides silvery grey or pale yellow ; legs yellow.
Length 10.5 ; tail 3 ; wing 8 ; tarsus 2.5 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. Resident throughout India and Ceylon, ranging east as far as Calcutta and Dacca, and west to the Sutlej. This species occurs occasionally in Lower Sind, but is unknown in Upper Sind and the Western Punjab. The reported occurrence of this species in Burma is probably due to a mistake *.
Habits, &c. The Yellow-wattled Lapwing is found on dry plains or in thin bush away from forest, sometimes in twos or threes, often in flocks. It feeds on insects, and has a plaintive cry, far less harsh than that of the Red-wattled Lapwing. It breeds in Northern India in April and May, in Ceylon in June and July, and lays four eggs of the usual Plover type on the bare ground. The eggs measure about 1.15 by 1.07, and are buff or pale stone-colour, blotched all over with dark brown and purplish grey.
* For this mistake I am responsible, as I included the species in a list, of Burmese birds with the locality Thayet Myo (Ibis, 1870, p. 470). Nearly all the specimens collected by me in Burma are in the British Museum, but there is no skin of S. malabaricus amongst them. I wrote the paper when I was away from the specimens, and I think there must have been some error in the name.
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