Red-Wattled Lapwing (subspecies indicus and atronuchalis)

There are four subspecies of red-wattled lapwing and I've previously posted on Vanellus indicus lankae, the Sri Lankan subspecies which is only found in Sri Lanka. In December 2024 we visited Kaziranga NP in Assam (northeastern India) and I believe we saw two other subspecies, the nominate subspecies Venellus indicus indicus which is larger and less dark than lankae, and Venellus indicus atronuchalis, which has a white cheek surrounded by black. 

V. i. indicus is found from central Pakistan to Nepal, northeast India and Bangladesh. 

Seen in the Eastern Range of Kaziranga.

Seen in the Western Range of Kaziranga.

An illustration of indicus from Birds of the World.

A range map of the red-wattled lapwing from Birds of the World. 

V. i. atronuchalis is found in northeastern India (Assam), and Myanmar to the north peninsula of Malaysia and south Vietnam. Kaziranga NP is in Assam in northeastern India which is where both indicus and atronuchalis are found. Both photos below, from Kaziranga NP have birds with hunched necks and so it is not clear that there is black separation around the cheek. However, on both there is an indentation of the white into the black which is not seen in my photos for indicus above, so I believe these are atronuchalis. 

An illustration of V. i. atronuchalis from Birds of the World.

Seen in the Central Ranger of Kaziranga.

Seen in the Western Range of Kaziranga.