Grey-headed Lapwing vs Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Grey-headed Lapwing

Vanellus cinereus

Medium270 gWetland

The grey-headed lapwing is 34–37 cm long. It has a grey head and neck, darker grey breast band and white belly. The back is brown, the rump is white and the tail is black. This is a striking species in flight, with black primaries, white under wings and upper wing secondaries, and brown upper wing coverts. Adults of both sexes are similarly plumaged, but males are slightly larger than females. Young birds have the white areas of plumage tinged with grey, a less distinct breast band, and pale fringes to the upperpart and wing covert feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India · CC BY 2.0

Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Vanellus malabaricus

Medium140 gGrassland

These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds found in dry stony and open grassland or scrub habitats. They are medium-sized pale brown waders with a black crown which is separated from the brown on the neck by a narrow white band and large yellow facial wattles. The chin and throat are black and the brown neck and upper breast is separated from the white belly by a narrow blackish line. The tail has a subterminal black band which does not extend into the outer tail-feathers. There is a white wingbar on the inner half of the wing. The bill is yellow at the base.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Srivatsan Ramkumar · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-headed Lapwing and Yellow-wattled Lapwing.