| Northern Lapwing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Charadriidae |
| Genus: | Vanellus |
| Species: | Vanellus vanellus |
The Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) is a bird in the family Charadriidae.
Description[]
This graceful bird is about 30 cm long, has a 82-87 cm wingspan, and weighs 130-330 g. The adult is glossy dark green above and white below, with a black throat and chest, a black eye-stripe, and a long black crest. Its wings are broad and rounded, white below with black remiges with a small white crescent. Its tail is short, white with a black bar, and its vent is chestnut. It has a fine black bill and relatively long, pink legs. The juvenile is similar, but is generally paler, with scaled upperparts, no black on its throat and a short crest. The sexes are alike.
Voice[]
They produce plaintively loud shrill calls very often in the breeding season.
Behaviour[]
The Northern Lapwing is a bird of gregarious habits. In winter, flocks of hundreds of Lapwings, sometimes mixed with related species such as the Golden Plover.
Feeding[]
It feeds on insects, molluscs, worms and seeds.
Breeding[]
The Northern Lapwing nests on the ground, laying 2-5 pale cream-olive eggs (usually 4) with dark spots. The eggs are incubated by both sexes, though mostly by the female, for 24-29 days. The fledglings are cared for by both parents, becoming independent 33-40 days after hatching. Northern Lapwings breed once, sometimes twice a year. Nesting occurs from March to June.
Distribution and habitat[]
The Northern Lapwing is a migratory bird common and breeding in temperate regions of Eurasia, though in a few parts of its range, it is sedentary. The wintering areas include most of France, the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean (including North Africa), parts of Southwest Asia, North India and Southeast China. Wintering Northern Lapwings can also be seen in Burma, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. The Northern Lapwing arrives to nesting sites very early, depending on latitude - from late February to early April, and inhabits damp meadows and grassy swamps covered with rare bushes.