Saturday, April 13, 2019

Yellow-Wattled Lapwing

The yellow-wattled lapwing is found in most of India, parts of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. There are no subspecies. It tends to be seen in drier habitats than the red-wattled lapwing, but of the few I saw, at least one, in Yala National Park, was in the presence of a red-wattled lapwing. 
This nesting yellow-wattled lapwing was in Bundala NP.
It is a wading bird, is pale brown with a black crown, separated from the brown on the neck by a narrow white band and large yellow facial wattles. 
The black crown, white band and yellow wattle. The wattle looks like a plastic pair of glasses with a nose-ridge. 
The chin and throat are black and the brown neck and upper breast is separated from the white belly by a narrow blackish line. 
The black chin is over-shadowed by the yellow wattle. The wattle looks like it is pieces of plastic that have been cobbled together. 
The tail has a black band near the end of it. The bill is yellow at the base with a yellow, triangular wattle hanging down from it. It also has yellow legs and feet.
While in Yala, while we were looking at some lapwings, I said to Sanjay, "What birds are those?" He said "red-wattled lapwings." "But," I said, "there are some with yellow instead of red." He responded, "Oh, those are yellow-wattled lapwings." 
The yellow wattle and legs are striking. 

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