Yellow - wattled Lapwing : A Beautiful Wading Bird

Yellow - wattled Lapwing : A Beautiful Wading Bird

Yellow - wattled Lapwing

A Desert of Yellow - wattled Lapwings

Yellow - wattled Lapwing in Flight

Lapwings , a resident bird of India , are of various types such as Red – wattled, Grey – headed, yellow – wattled etc. Out of different species, Yellow – wattled Lapwings are the most beautiful due to unique black head resembling to a ‘cap with white boarder line’ and striking triangular shaped yellow wattle at front.

Salient Features of Yellow – wattled Lapwing :

· A variant of Lapwing displaying yellow wattles & legs, white eye-strip, unique black cap, brown breast-band & white belly.

· Their calls are distinctive as ‘tchee-it’ & ‘tit-tit-tit’.

· Normally live in pairs or small flocks, found in open dry areas, fallow fields, stony ground etc.

· They feed mainly on beetles, termites and other invertebrates, which are picked from the ground.

· Scientific name is ‘ Vanellus malabaricus’. It belongs to ‘Charadriidae’ family.

· IUCN conservation status: Least Concern (LC).

· Hindi name: ‘Zirdi’.

In search of food

Yellow - wattled Lapwing

Brisk walking in Grassland

Black cap on head

Standing on one Leg

Waiting for food

Fast Ramp walking in group

Line up for Race

Calling jointly

A group sitting in grassland

In flight

Wings widely open in flight

In flight

In flight

The unique yellow wattles, superb flight, highly active movement and distinctive sharp voice – all these features make Yellow – wattled Lapwings a very interesting bird.

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