Red-wattled Lapwing

Description:

The boldly patterned ‘Red-wattled Lapwing’ is named for the vivid red, fleshy, wrinkled skin, or wattle, in front of each eye. This wading bird has greyish brown upperparts, except for the jet black head, neck and upper breast. A broad white stripe extends from each eye down the sides of the neck, drawing a clear line between the black and brown plumage. When in flight, the white rump and tail can also be seen, with a broad black band extending across the tail. The bill of the ‘Red-wattled Lapwing’ is red with a black tip, the eyes are reddish-brown, and the long legs are bright yellow.

Habitat:

It shows a preference for sites in close proximity to freshwater, such as wet grasslands, rivers, streams, creeks, marshes and pools. It may also be found on artificial land such as corn fields, ploughed land, rural gardens, and even occasionally on grass along highways.

Notes:

A noisy bird, the ‘Red-wattled Lapwing’ utters its loud cry both during flight and when on the ground. The call is a series of loud, shrill notes, expressed well by the words ‘did-he-do-it or pity-to-do-it’. Their nest is usually just a simple shallow scrape in the ground, that can be encircled with small stones or hard clay. It is typically situated on open, slightly elevated ground in close proximity to water. Like other lapwings, they soak their belly feathers to provide water to their chicks as well as to cool the eggs during hot weather.