Red-wattled Lapwing

Vanellus indicus

Family: Plovers and Lapwings · Status: Common resident · Size: 31.5–35 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Resident across eastern Arabia, southern Persia, the Indian Subcontinent, and continental Southeast Asia.

Identification

Adult has black head and upper breast contrasting with brown upperparts and white lower breast and belly, white patch on ear-coverts, red bill with black tip, and prominent red facial skin. Upperparts greyish-brown. In flight, a prominent white wingbar separates the brown upperwing-coverts from the black flight feathers. Juvenile has duller plumage with whitish throat and greyish-brown breast and crown.

Habitat

Grasslands, marshes, wastelands, and edges of waterbodies.

Behaviour

Usually found in pairs or small groups.