From Opus

Photo by Yeshey Dorji
Toorsa, Phuentsholing, Bhutan, June, 2005

Vanellus indicus

Identification

35cm

• Light brown wings and back
• Black head and chest and front part of neck
• White patch runs between belly and tail, flanking the neck to the sides of crown
• Short tail is tipped black
• A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye
• Black-tipped red bill
• Long yellow legs
• In flight, prominent white V-shaped wing bar

Photo by kctsang
Melacca, Western Malaysia, March 2006

Distribution

Iraq, south-western Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Kashmir, Nepal.

Taxonomy

Four subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• V.i. aigneri - southeast Turkey to Pakistan
• V.i. indicus - east Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh
• V.i. lankae - Sri Lanka
• V.i. atronuchalis - northeast India and Myanmar to northern Malaysia and Indochina

Habitat

Open country and forest clearings, freshwater wetlands. Dry fields, bush country, near swamps, rivers and coasts.

Behaviour

Breeding

Its nest is a ground scrape; the clutch consisting of 3-4 buff eggs with black blotches.

Diet

Its diet includes ants, beetles, caterpillars, insects, snails and other invertebrates, as well as vegetation.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019
2. Wikipedia

• List of references

External Links

• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages