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Vanellus vanellus
is a bird in the plover family. The Northern lapwing is a 28–33 cm long bird with a 67–87 cm wingspan and a body mass of 128–330 g (4.5–12 oz).[3] It has rounded wings and a crest. It is the shortest-legged of the lapwings. It is mainly black and white, but the back is tinted green. The male has a long crest and a black crown, throat and breast contrasting with an otherwise white face. Females and young birds have shorter crests, and have less strongly marked heads, but plumages are otherwise quite similar. The name lapwing has been variously attributed to the "lapping" sound its wings make in flight. The typical contact call is a loud, shrill "pee-wit" from which they get their other name of Peewit.
It is common through temperate Eurasia. It is a wader which breeds on cultivated land and other short vegetation habitats. 3 – 4 eggs are laid in a ground scrape. The nest and young are defended noisily and aggressively against all intruders, up to and including horses and cattle.
3 Comments
Thanks, Kathleen :-)
Lovely bird and photos!
Thanks for liking my spottings, Noel! :-)