CHARADRIUS XANTHOCHELLUS, Wage.
Australian Golden Plover.

Charadrius xanthocheilus, Wagl. Syst. Av. Charadrius, sp. 36.—Jard. and Selb. Il. Orn., vol. 1. pl. 85.

 

Turis species of Golden Plover, which I have referred to the Charadrius wanthocheilus of Wagler, although
nowhere very abundant, is generally dispersed over all the colonies from Van Diemen’s Land to the extreme
north of the continent of Australia, and I saw a specimen in the Museum at Sydney which had been

procured on Melville Island; its range therefore is very extensive. I obtained several specimens on the

banks of the Derwent in Van Diemen’s Land, observed it in small numbers on the flats below Clarence
Plains, and also killed examples on one of the islands opposite Flinders’ Island.
Its habits, manners, and general economy so closely resemble those of the Golden Plover ( Charadrius

pluvialis) of Europe, that a description of one is equally characteristic of the other. Like that bird, it

frequents open plains in the neighbourhood of marshy lands or the sea-beach, runs with amazing facility,
and flies with equal rapidity.

Indications of the future black colouring of the breast or breeding plumage begin to appear early in the
spring, and as the season advances, every variety of colouring occurs from the mottled yellow of winter to
the uniform black under-surface of summer, which latter state however is but seldom seen ; whence I am
induced to doubt its remaining to breed in any of the southern parts of Australia.

The full sammer plumage is as follows :—The whole of the upper surface and tail very dark brown, each
feather with a series of oblong yellowish and whitish spots along their margins; primaries dark brown with
white shafts; lores, sides of the face, breast and all the under surface jet-black, bounded by a broad mark
of white, which crosses the forehead, passes over the eye, down the side of the neck and along the flanks,
where it becomes broad and conspicuous ; under wing-coverts and the lengthened feathers covering the
insertion of the wing uniform pale silvery brown; irides dark brown; bill dark olive; legs and feet
leaden-grey.

In the winter season the black and white markings of the under surface entirely disappear, and are
replaced by a buffy tint mottled with brown, the mottled appearance being produced by a triangular spot of
pale brown at the tip of each feather.

The Plate represents the bird in the summer and winter plumage, and of the natural size.