PLOVERS, SANDPIPERS, AND SNIPE


PEEWIT OR LAPWING
SIZE; Grey partridges; length 30 cm (12 in).
FIELD CHARACTERS; A typical plover. Overall effect black and white with a black; sides of head and neck white with black patches; back and mantle metallic bronze-green. Upper tail-coverts cinnamon. Rest of lower parts white. In overhead flight plumage looks pied. Black breast and white underparts, including underside of wings, suggestive diagnostic pointers.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC;,/b> winter visitor (October to March): erratic and sparse. Duars and adjoining low foothills-fellow land, stubbles, irrigated stubbles field, etc. Pairs or small flocks. Runs about with short mincing steps, stopping abruptly time and again to pick up tidbits with steep downwards tilt of body, as characteristic of plover family. Normal flight rather slow, slow, with sluggish wing beats.
FOOD; insects, mollusks, worms.
CALL; silent in winter; only occasional plaintive mewing pee-wit uttered singly.

REDWATTLED LAPWING
SIZE; Grey partridge, length 35 cm (14 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS; The commonest plover. Above, head and neck black; a broad white band from behind eye running down sides of neck to meet the white underparts; a crimson fleshy wattle in front of each eye. Below, throat and breast black; rest white.
SEXES; Alike. Identified by the well-known did-ye-do-it? Calls.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident. Duars and foothills to at least 1000m-wet fallows and stubbles, usually in the neighborhood of water: ditches, rain puddle, etc. Pair or small parties.
FOOD; Insects, mollusks, worms and some vegetable matter.
CALL: Loud, high-pitched, penetrating did-ye-do-it? Or pity-to-do-it reiterated with vehemence varying with the occasion.

SPURWINGED LAPWING
SIZE; Grey partridge; length 30 cm (12 in).
FIELD CHARACTERS. Above, forehead, crown, and occipital crest black. Upper plumage chiefly pinkish gray and sandy brown; tail-coverts white; tail white with its terminal half black. Wings black with a broad white patch. Below, cheeks, chin and throat black, bordered with white. Rest of lower plumage brownish gray and white; center of belly black. In flight, black wings with broadband combined with the black-and-white head pattern and black belly-patch diagnostic. At rest, the hunchbacked posture with rigid horizontal body and furtively drawn-in neck is characteristic.
STATUS, HABITAT, ETC. Resident. Chiefly duars-on sandbanks and shingle beds in the Teesta, Luhit and other rivers if the region. Coloration remarkably obliterate in its shingle environment. Singly or pairs.
FOOD, Insects, worms, mollusks, crustaceans.
CALL; a sharp, insistent, high-pitched did-did-did several times repeated, ending with 2 or 3 staccato notes sounding like did-did-do-weet, did-did-do-weet uttered on the wing. Reminiscent of Redwattled Lapwing's but quite distinct.

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