526 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Tail of the Kentish Plover (Charadrius 

 a. alexandrinus). 



is acquired by complete moult July to Nov. Summer. — The body- 

 feathers (not all scapulars), occasionally tail-feathers, some inner- 

 most secondaries and coverts, 

 some median and lesser coverts, 

 but not rest of wings are moulted 

 March to May. Coloration as in 

 winter but crown and nape orange - 

 cinnamon, feathers of crown ash- 

 brown towards base ; mantle, 

 scapulars and innermost second- 

 aries ash-brown with faint tawny 

 edges and slightly tinged tawny ; 

 lores, ear -coverts and band below 

 eye black intermixed with a few 

 white feathers below eye ; patch at 

 sides of breast black. N.B. — In 

 late summer abrasion of orange 

 cinnamon-tips makes crown more 

 or less ash-brown. 

 Adult female. Winter. — As male but lacks black on crown 

 which is ash-brown, feathers narrowly edged tawny or sandy ; 

 white on fore -head usually less extensive ; lores, band below eye 

 and ear -coverts pale ash-brown ; patch on sides of breast ash-brown, 

 feathers narrowly edged white. Summer. — Coloration as winter 

 but feathers of crown, especially those bordering white collar, with 

 more or less pronounced tawny edges ; mantle, scapulars and 

 innermost secondaries as in summer male ; lores, band below eye, 

 ear-coverts and line from eye to nape tawny ; patch on side of 

 breast ash-brown, feathers tipped tawny and with a few tawny 

 feathers. 



Nestling (Plate 8). — Like C. h. hiaticula but upper -parts light 

 buff rather than greyish-buff, and black-brown line encircling 

 hinder -crown paler and ill -defined. 



Juvenile. Male and female. — Like adult winter female but 

 feathers of crown and nape edged light buff ; feathers of mantle 

 and scapulars fringed sandy-buff ; back, rump and central upper 

 tail-coverts sepia, feathers tipped sandy-buff ; lores tipped buff, 

 or white washed buff ; eye-stripe and ear-coverts buff ; feathers 

 of brown patch at sides of upper -breast edged sandy-buff ; rest of 

 upper- and under-parts as adult ; tail-feathers sepia fringed sandy- 

 buff, three outer pairs as adult ; wing as adult but innermost 

 secondaries and coverts, median and lesser coverts broadly fringed 

 sandy-buff or cream. 



First winter. Male and female. — As adult female but dis- 

 tinguished by broad sandy-buff edges to retained juvenile median 

 coverts (esjjecially innermost) and lesser coverts. The juvenile 

 body-plumage (not all scapulars), tail-feathers, innermost second- 

 aries and coverts, some median and lesser coverts are moulted 

 Sept. to Dec. First summer. Male and female. — Moult as adult 



