Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester). Indian Peninsula, Indo-Chinese countries to Malay Peninsula and greater Sunda Islands.

Adult in breeding plumage.—Sexes similar; head, chin, and throat white; occiput and a line on each side of neck black, behind this a large saddle of golden yellow; mantle and scapulars dark brown glossed with violet; back, rump, and tail black; lower parts, except chin and throat, dead black; first primary black, the other primaries mostly white, but with some black at their tips; remainder of wing white; axillars and wing-lining white. Iris brown, bill blue, paler at tip; legs blue; nails blackish. Length of male about 330; wing, 190; tail, 131; exposed culmen, 28; tarsus, 54; middle toe with claw, 75; hind toe without claw, 20; claw, 29. Length of female, 380; wing, 250; tail, 162; exposed culmen, 28; tarsus, 60; middle toe with claw, 85; hind toe with claw, 57.

Adult in non-breeding plumage.—Differs from the breeding plumage chiefly as follows: Upper parts earthy brown with little gloss; under parts, including tail and its coverts, white except a black plastron on fore breast which extends forward on each side of neck; golden collar replaced by a golden yellow band on each side; secondaries and coverts mostly earthy brown speckled with white.

Birds in intermediate plumage present endless combinations of the breeding and non-breeding plumage.

“Young.—Generally resembles the winter plumage of the adults, but is always distinguished by its rufous head, and in the first stage of plumage by the sandy rufous margins to the feathers of the upper surface; the dusky band of the sides of the neck is feebly indicated and the horseshoe collar on the fore neck is marked by a few spots of dusky blackish; the white on the primaries is more restricted, but the elongated tips are present.” (Sharpe.)

“Quite abundant about the Laguna de Naujan, in Mindoro. It runs about over the leaves of water plants, and when approached sinks its body in the water until only its head and tail can be seen. When wounded it dives, and sometimes hangs onto water plants below the surface until it dies.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

This jacana is abundant in Luzon in fresh-water swamps and on the borders of lakes.

Mindanao (Mearns). Australia, Celebes, southern Borneo.

“Adult male.—Above bronzy brown, more dingy on the lower back and rump; upper tail-coverts and tail black, all but the center tail-feathers white at base; wing-coverts like the back; marginal coverts, alula, primary-coverts, and quills black, with a slight bluish gloss; inner secondaries bronzy brown like the back; forehead behind the lappet to center of crown, sides of face, and sides of neck golden straw-color; throat white, inclining to golden straw-color on fore neck; an infra-loral streak of black from fore part of cheeks to fore part of eye; hinder crown black, extending in a broad line down hind neck and overspreading upper mantle; chest, breast, and sides of body, as well as under wing-coverts and axillars, sooty black; entire abdomen, lower flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts white; quills glossy black below. ‘Bill greenish gray at the extreme tip, then black to near nostrils; basal portion of upper mandible and the helmet aurora-red; base of lower mandible light primrose-yellow; fore part of tibia red, with a mixture in patches of yellow and greenish gray; iris light sulphur-yellow; eyelash light ash-gray.’ (Gould.) Length, 229; culmen with frontal lappet, 46; wing, 142; tail, 41; tarsus, 61; middle toe with claw, 91.

“Adult female.—Resembles the male in color but is decidedly larger; a male from Port Essington measures 178 in length and has the wing 119, while a female from the same place measures 215 in length and has the wing 142.

“Young.—Differs considerably from the adult. General color olive-brown above, the feathers with sandy-rufous margins; crown bright rufous; under surface entirely white.” (Sharpe.)

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Steere Exp., McGregor); Negros (Layard); Palawan (Whitehead, White). China, eastern Siberia, Indian Peninsula, Indo-Chinese countries; in winter Malay Peninsula and Archipelago to Australia.

Adult male and female.—Above nearly uniform earthy brown; tail-coverts white; a narrow line below eye white; lores black, this color continued in a line below eyes to ear-coverts and across breast and bordered in front with white; sides of neck earthy brown, usually extending across fore breast; chin, throat, and breast light rufous or ocherous-brown; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts white; primaries, secondaries, and alula blackish; axillars and under wing-coverts bright chestnut; white at base of tail gradually increasing in extent from the central pair of rectrices outward; tips brown. Bill black, scarlet posteriorly of nostrils; inside of mouth dull salmon-pink; iris brown; legs and nails dark seal-brown. Length of male, 230; wing, 182; tail, 78; exposed culmen, 14; tarsus, 34; middle toe with claw, 29. Female, wing, 185; tail, 72; exposed culmen, 15; tarsus, 34.

A young female from Calayan, November 11, 1903, resembles the adult but the black and white lines across breast are wanting, being replaced by numerous blackish brown dashes a few of which are scattered forward onto throat.

“Young.—Differs from the adult in having the entire upper surface blackish, mottled with broad edgings of sandy buff to all the feathers, especially the quills and tail-feathers; head mottled like the back; cheeks and under surface of body isabelline-buff; fore neck and chest mottled with black, the feathers with a broad subterminal bar or heart-shaped spot of black.

“The sandy-buff margins to the feathers become bleached to white, and in many respects abraded, so that the subterminal black markings of the young plumage remain as margins to the dorsal feathers. The adult plumage is apparently gained by a molt, and the new feathers have a slight indication of a sandy-buff fringe on the upper parts, while the chest is mottled with ashy, the feathers having sandy-colored margins; the throat is at first irregularly spotted or streaked with blackish, and has scarcely any signs of a black crescent.

“There is considerable variation with regard to the rufous color of the throat and breast, this being sometimes very rich in tint. I imagine that this is a sign of nesting plumage to a great extent; but it may also indicate the age of the bird, the plumage becoming more richly colored as the bird gets older.” (Sharpe.)

“Numerous flocks seen by me on the plains of Isabela in April, 1906.” (Worcester.)

During the winter months this anomalous plover visits the Philippines in small numbers. Its deeply cleft bill and forked tail distinguish it from all other plovers; and even while on the wing it may be recognized by its circling, swallow-like flight.

Ta-ba-la-lan, Calayan.

Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Fuga (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (Platen?); Palawan (Whitehead, White). Australia to Bismarck Archipelago and north to Borneo and islands of Bay of Bengal.

“Adult.—Above ashy brown, with dusky shaft-lines; scapulars like back; upper tail-coverts ashy like back, but freckled and barred with dusky brown; lesser wing-coverts dark brown, lower ones blackish at the ends and forming a broad band across wing, followed by another band of white, formed by median coverts, which are gray at the tips, with a broad white band across the middle followed by another bar of dusky blackish; greater coverts entirely gray, fading off into whitish at the ends; alula and primary-coverts white like the quills they cover; primaries brownish black with white along inner web, extending across outer web of the first two; inner primaries pure white; secondaries dark brown, externally gray, with white bases and small white tips, also white along the inner webs; on the inner secondaries the white confined to inner web, long innermost secondaries ashy brown like back; tail ashy brown, with a black band at the end, before this a broad white band, preceded by a narrow black band; two middle feathers light ashy brown freckled with dusky mottlings, the other feathers also slightly freckled with dusky; crown and neck like the back; lores blackish, as also a broad band along the sides of crown, extending to the sides of the neck, where it joins the black ear-coverts and incloses the white of face, which consists of a white band above and below the eye extending above the ear-coverts; cheeks white, extending in a line along base of upper mandible and forming a streak in front of eye; fore part of cheeks black; chin and throat white; lower throat ashy brown, streaked with darker brown, as also the sides of neck; breast pale ashy; remainder of the under surface white with a slight tawny tinge; under tail-coverts tawny-buff; under wing-coverts and axillars white. ‘Base of bill sulphur-yellow, continued along the sides of upper mandible above nostrils; remainder of bill black; tibia lemon-yellow; tarsi and feet wine-yellow; upper ridges of scales of toes lead-color; eyelids primrose-yellow; iris pale yellow.’ (Gould.) Length, about 483; culmen, 76; wing, 274; tail, 109; tarsus, 84.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male in color. Length, about 508; culmen, 71; wing, 269; tail, 109; tarsus, 83.

“Young.—Two specimens from the Duke of York Island and Guadaleanar are apparently immature, having the feathers of the upper surface tipped with sandy buff, especially on the wing-coverts, where the white band on the median series is not so defined as in the adults, but showing a broader band of brown-tipped feathers below. There is, however, a second white band formed by the white tips to the greater wing-coverts, and it is somewhat curious that this should be a sign of immaturity.” (Sharpe.)

The stone plover is remarkable for its large and powerful bill. It is rare in the Philippine Islands and so far as observed it is found on sea-beaches where it subsists upon sand-crabs.