Sociable Lapwing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Sociable Lapwing, from a
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| Vanellus gregarius (Pallas, 1771) |
The Sociable Lapwing or Sociable Plover (Vanellus gregarius) is a wader in the lapwing family of birds.
It breeds on open grassland in Russia and Kazakhstan. Three to five eggs are laid in a ground nest. These birds migrate south through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, to key wintering sites in Israel, Eritrea, Sudan and north-west India. Birds winter occasionally in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Oman. This lapwing is a very rare vagrant in western Europe, where this gregarious bird is usually found with Northern Lapwings. It feeds in a similar way, picking insects and other small prey mainly from grassland or arable.
This attractive medium-sized lapwing has longish black legs and a short black bill. Summer adults have grey backs and breast, dark belly and white undertail. The head has a striking pattern, with a black crown and eyestripe, the latter being bordered above and below with white. The upper neck is ochre. Its longish black legs, white tail with a black terminal band and distinctive brown, white and grey wings make it almost unmistakable in flight. The call is a harsh kereck.
Winter adults have a less distinct head pattern, slightly browner back and breast, and white belly. Young birds have a scaly back, and only vestiges of the head pattern.
In 2004 BirdLife International categorised this bird as critically endangered, due to a rapid population decline for poorly understood reasons. The current population was estimated to be between 600 and 1,800.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2006). Vanellus gregarius. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is critically endangered and the criteria used
- Shorebirds by Hayman, Marchant and Prater ISBN 0-7099-2034-2
