Gray-headed Lapwing
Vanellus cinereus
Brown lapwing with a gray head and neck, bright yellow bill, and a white belly and gray breast separated by a dark breast band. When in flight, note striking black primary feathers and white secondaries, as well as a white rump and dark tail. Gregarious, usually seen in loose small flocks, sometimes with other lapwings. Inhabits cultivated wetlands and marshy areas, feeding mainly on insects, worms, and crustaceans. Gives grating, piping screams.
Identification
The grey-headed lapwing is 34–37 cm long. It has a grey head and neck, darker grey breast band and white belly. The back is brown, the rump is white and the tail is black. This is a striking species in flight, with black primaries, white under wings and upper wing secondaries, and brown upper wing coverts.<p>Adults of both sexes are similarly plumaged, but males are slightly larger than females. Young birds have the white areas of plumage tinged with grey, a less distinct breast band, and pale fringes to the upperpart and wing covert feathers. The call of the grey-headed lapwing is a sharp chee-it.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Vanellus cinereus
- Authority
- (Blyth, 1842)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Genus
- Vanellus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : inland Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia (nc, ne China), Honshu to Kyushu (c, s Japan)
- Non-breeding range
- to ne, s India, through se Asia to Malay Pen., n, s Vietnam and se China
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
This species nests from April to July in wet grassland, rice fields and marshland edges. It winters in similar habitat and is then gregarious. It feeds in shallow water on insects, worms and molluscs.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Anas zonorhyncha
Common large duck of lakes, ponds, wet fields, and estuaries. Dark brown overall, with a pale head marked by a whitish eyebrow and two black stripes on the face. Namesake yellow bill spot is visible even from a good distance. White underwings contrast strongly with dark body in flight. Highly adaptable and quite tame, foraging in city parks and small ponds close to human settlements.
Himalayan Thrush
Zoothera salimalii
A mysterious and range-restricted thrush the color of rich caramel. Dark brown above with densely black-scaled underparts, white eye-ring, and uniform upperparts. Extremely similar to Sichuan and Alpine Thrushes; averages darker above, heavier-billed, and stockier-looking. Breeds in eastern Himalayan forests at around 3000-4000 meters; winters down to around 1450 meters. Gives a typical ringing, melodic thrush song.
Blue-breasted Fairywren
Malurus pulcherrimus
Small bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found from southwestern Western Australia to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, where it prefers coastal heath and drier woodland areas. Breeding male has a bright blue helmet, bluish-black breast, blue patch on back, and chestnut shoulders. Female grayish overall, with long blue-gray tail and reddish bill. Nonbreeding male resembles female but has black bill and narrow pale eyering.
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