Masked lapwing
Masked lapwing | |
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V. m. miles | |
V. m. novaehollandiae | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Charadriidae |
Genus: | Vanellus |
Species: | V. miles
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Binomial name | |
Vanellus miles (Boddaert, 1783)
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Subspecies | |
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Synonyms | |
Hoplopterus miles (Boddaert, 1783) |
The masked lapwing (Vanellus miles) is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia (particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent), New Zealand and New Guinea. It spends most of its time on the ground searching for food such as insects and worms, and has several distinctive calls. It is common in Australian fields and open land, and is known for its defensive swooping behaviour during the nesting season.
Despite the species being also known as the masked plover and often called the spur-winged plover or just plover in its
Taxonomy
The masked lapwing was described by the French polymath
Two subspecies are usually recognised:[10]
- V. m. miles (Boddaert, 1783) - Coastal New Guinea, Aru Islands, northern Australia
- V. m. novaehollandiae Stephens, 1819 - southern Australia, New Zealand. This taxon was formerly known as the spur-winged plover.
The
Description
The masked lapwing is the largest representative of the family
The birds have a wide range of calls which can be heard at any time of the day or night: the warning call, a loud defending call, courtship calls, calls to its young, and others. Since the bird lives on the ground, it is always alert and, even though it rests, it never sleeps properly.
Distribution and habitat
Masked lapwings are most common around the edges of
Behaviour
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
Masked lapwings are shy and harmless in summer and autumn but are best known for their bold nesting habits, being quite prepared to make a nest on almost any stretch of open ground, including suburban parks and gardens, school ovals, and even supermarket carparks and flat rooftops. They can be particularly dangerous at airports where their reluctance to move from their nesting area, even for large aircraft, has resulted in several bird strikes.[15] Breeding usually happens after winter solstice (June 21), but sometimes before. The nesting pair defends their territory against all intruders by calling loudly, spreading their wings, and then swooping fast and low, striking at interlopers, if necessary, with their feet, and attacking animals on the ground with the conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of the wing.
The bird may also use diversion tactics against potential predators, such as fiercely protecting a non-existent nest, or a distraction display of hopping on a single leg, to attract attention to itself and away from its real nest, or from its chicks after they have commenced foraging. There seems to be some significant use of language to guide chicks during a situation perceived to be dangerous. Long calls appear to tell the chicks to come closer to the calling bird, and a single chirp every few seconds instructs them to move away.
There is a widely-believed myth that the spur can inject venom. That may have been based on fear of the masked lapwing's territorial behaviour. Attacks are most vicious on other birds, such as ravens, and also on cats and dogs, but once the chicks reach 60% of full size after two or three months, the chances of that happening decrease. Strikes are much rarer on humans because they are more aware. Sometimes the bird can damage its wing in a strike but usually survives, although it is flightless while the wing heals. Some masked lapwings, especially those living in residential suburban areas, may never successfully breed, due to increased disturbance from domestic pets, people on footpaths, and cars. Commonly, two birds are seen together, a male and a female which are almost identical. They can be seen in groups at times, especially while feeding on coastlines. The chick reaches full growth after four or five months and will often stay with the parents for from one to two years, resulting in family groups of three to five birds nesting in one location over the summer. Their lifespan is approximately 16 years.
The birds spend much of the time on the ground, searching for worms and insects to feed on.[13]
Gallery
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Southern race facial detail. Also shows wing spurs.
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Northern race facial detail.
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juvenile
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Chick in camouflaged posture
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A masked lapwing blinking the left eye (themedial canthus.
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A masked lapwing feeding on a sand worm
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Eggs in a nest
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Typical situation
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1781). "Le Vanneau armé de la Louisiane". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 15. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. p. 103.
- Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Vanneau armé, de la Louisiane". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 10. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 835.
- ^ Boddaert, Pieter (1783). Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton : avec les denominations de M.M. de Buffon, Brisson, Edwards, Linnaeus et Latham, precedé d'une notice des principaux ouvrages zoologiques enluminés (in French). Utrecht. p. 51, Number 835.
- ^ Peters, James Lee (1934). Check list of Birds of the World, Volume 2. Vol. 2. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press. p. 239.
- .
- ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 1. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. p. 48.
- ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 5. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. p. 94.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Grebes, flamingos, buttonquail, plovers, painted-snipes, jacanas, plains-wanderer, seedsnipes". World Bird List Version 9.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ S2CID 242691895. Retrieved 10 December 2015.(subscription required)
- ^ S2CID 242691895. Retrieved 9 December 2015.(subscription required)
- ^ a b "Masked Lapwing Fact Sheet, Lincoln Park Zoo" [dead link]
- ^ "Spur-winged plover". New Zealand Birds Online. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ "Masked Lapwings: Managing bird strike risk at Australian airports" (PDF). ATSB Bird Information Sheet No.3. Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
External links
- Media related to Vanellus miles at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Vanellus miles at Wikispecies