Part 41

"Often seen in small flocks during the winter months." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Not uncommon on tide-flats in the winter months; it is easily recognized by its bright red legs.

Subfamily LOBIVANELLINÆ.

Genus MICROSARCOPS Sharpe, 1896.

A hard round knob at bend of wing; a small fleshy wattle on each side of head at base of bill; bill plover-like with a decided swelling at the tip; nostril linear in a groove; wing pointed, first and second primaries equal and largest; tarsus long, covered with large hexagonal scales which appear as transverse plates in front; front toes webbed at base; hind toe small.

89. MICROSARCOPS CINEREUS (Blyth).

GRAY-HEADED LAPWING.

Pluvianus cinerea Blyth, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal (1842), 11, 587. Microsarcops cinereus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 133; Hand-List (1899), 1, 149; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 9; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 295.

Luzon (Guerrero). Korea and southern Japanese islands to Mongolia and northern China; southern China, Indo-Burmese countries, and northeastern Bengal in winter.

"Adult male.--Above light brown, with a slight bronzy gloss; rump, upper tail-coverts, and base of tail white; terminal third of tail black, forming a broad band, tips white with a slight subterminal shade of brown, the black band vanishing toward the outer tail-feather, which is entirely white; wing-coverts brown like the back, but a little paler; median coverts with narrow white tips, except the outer ones, which are pure white; greater coverts nearly entirely white, with brown at the extreme base, increasing in extent on the inner ones; alula dark brown; primary-coverts and quills black; secondaries pure white; outer ones dusky near the ends, inner ones externally light brown, and innermost brown like the back; crown, nape, and hind neck, as well as side of face and neck, throat, fore neck, and chest light pearly gray, with a narrow black band across the upper breast; chin rather paler gray; remainder of under surface including under wing-coverts and axillars, pure white. 'Basal two-thirds of bill deep yellow, terminal third black; feet dull yellow, claws black; edges of eyelids and lappets deep yellow.' (Oates.) Length, 355; culmen, 35; wing, 239; tail, 102; tarsus, 67.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male in plumage. Length, 368; culmen, 35; wing, 239; tail, 107; tarsus, 68.

"Adult in winter.--Differs from the summer plumage in having the gray of head and throat washed with brown, especially on the chest; the black band obscured by ashy or whitish tips to the feathers." (Sharpe.)

Young male in winter.--Upper parts brown with a slight gloss, the feathers with dusky shafts; forehead and neck a trifle lighter and grayer; upper tail-coverts and tail white, rectrices with a subterminal, blackish band which is widest on central pair and absent from outermost pair; chin whitish; throat, and sides of head and neck, light brown with whitish streaks; breast brown, rest of under parts white; wing-coverts brown like the back but a little paler, median coverts with narrow white tips, except the outer ones which are pure white; greater coverts nearly entirely white, with brown at extreme base, increasing in extent on inner ones; alula dark brown; primary-coverts and quills black; secondaries white, the inner ones externally light brown and the innermost brown like the back.

This lapwing resembles a large plover, but is distinguished by having a small hind toe, a short and blunt wing-spur, and a small, fleshy wattle or lappet between the eye and the base of bill. The only Philippine specimen known was taken near Manila in January, 1906.

Subfamily CHARADRIINÆ.

Bill moderate, not longer than head, culmen flat and straight from base to the terminal swollen dertrum; first primary slightly the longest; tarsus covered on all sides with small hexagonal scales; toes webbed at base; hind toe minute or absent.

Genera.

a1. Larger; wing more than 165 mm.; upper parts much spotted.

b1. A minute hind toe; axillars sooty black. ... Squatarola (p. 103) b2. No hind toe; axillars gray or white. ... Charadrius (p. 104)

a2. Smaller; wing less than 165 mm.; upper parts nearly uniform gray or brown.

b1. Larger; wing, 140 to 165 mm.; bill stouter. ... Ochthodromus (p. 105) b2. Smaller; wing, 100 to 115 mm.; bill more slender. ... Ægialitis (p. 109)

Genus SQUATAROLA Leach, 1816.

This genus is similar to Charadrius but differs in having a minute hind toe; the character is scarcely of generic value.

90. SQUATAROLA SQUATAROLA (Linnæus).

GRAY PLOVER.

Tringa squatarola Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 149. Squatarola helvetica Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 182; Hand-List (1899), 1, 152; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 17; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 22.

Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Cuyo (Meyer); Luzon (Sanches); Mindanao (Everett); Negros (Layard); Palawan (Whitehead); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino). Subarctic regions, south in winter to Australia, Cape of Good Hope, and South America.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Above mottled with bars of black and ashy white, the feathers being black, notched with white and broadly tipped with the latter; scapulars and wing-coverts like back, the greater series edged externally with white, inner ones distinctly notched with white; alula and primary-coverts black, the former slightly, the latter more plainly, tipped with white; quills black, the shaft white about the middle; first two primaries white for the greater portion of the inner web, decreasing in extent on the succeeding quills, which also have the median portion of the shaft white, but after the fourth this white shaft accompanied by an increasing amount of white on outer web; secondaries brown, with white edges and tips, bases of inner webs also white; innermost secondaries resembling the back, and notched with ashy brown and blackish; lower back and rump dusky brown, with white spots and fringes to the feathers; upper tail-coverts and tail white, barred with black or blackish brown, the bars decreasing toward the outer feathers, where they are broken up into spots on the outer web; crown like the back, but more minutely mottled and more hoary white; forehead and a broad eyebrow white, extending down sides of neck, and forming a large patch on sides of upper breast; lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and under surface black, excepting abdomen and under tail-coverts, which are pure white; thighs white, streaked with black; under wing-coverts white; axillars black, with slightly indicated fringes of brown at tips; quills below dusky, with white on inner webs; lower primary-coverts pale ashy. 'Bill, legs, feet, and claws black; iris dark hazel.' (Seebohm.) Length, 267; culmen, 33; wing, 206; tail, 74; tarsus, 46.