174 A HANDBOOK OF EUROPEAN BIRDS. 
chest ; bill black, cere and legggrey ; irides yellow. Length ar 
to 23 inches ; culmen 1°6 ; winf 19 to 20; tail 8°5 ; Zarsus 2°25. 
Immature Birds: Differ from adults in having the 
feathers of upper parts tipped with buffish; the nape not 
streaked with brown ; and the chest-band either wanting alto- 
gether, or evident merely by a few dark feathers. 
Distribution: Found in most parts of Europe, Asia, 
Africa and North America, and in South America as far south 
as Brazil. 
Habitat: Sea coast, neighbourhood of lakes or large rivers. 
Note.—There seems to be no appreciable difference in the sexes, excepting 
that the female slightly exceeds the male in size, and shows more 
brown on the chest, 
