Banded lapwing

Scientific Name: Vanellus tricolor

Did You Know?

Banded lapwings usually nest in the open with little cover so that they can see danger approaching from a distance. Parents will lure threats away by pretending to be injured, often with a broken wing, and if that fails, will dive-bomb the intruder.

The banded lapwing has a distinctive white ear stripe, a yellow eye-ring, a black cap and a small red wattle over the bill. Its upper breast is black with a white bib, the wings are grey-brown and its underbelly white. A member of the plover family, the banded lapwing grows to 29cm long

Habitat:

Found across southern Australia including Tasmania, the banded lapwing favours open grasslands with short clipped grass – for instance grazed land, semi-arid land and even playing fields!

Diet:

These plovers tap the ground with their feet to disturb insects which they then dart after and eat. They eat most things found in short grasses – insects, spiders, worms, snails and slugs and will occasionally eat seeds.

Reproduction:

Parents breed in local colonies after rain. The nest is a scraped area of ground covered in dry grass and sometimes animal droppings. 3-4 well-camouflaged speckled eggs are laid and take 28 days to hatch. The hatchlings are also speckled and freeze when a predator approaches.