River Lapwing


back

Vanellus duvaucelii

Common Names:

River lapwing

Taxonomy:

River Lapwing

Kingdom  :    Animalia
Phylum  :     Chordata
Class  :     Aves
Order  :     Charadriiformes
Family  :     Charadriidae
Genus  :    Vanellus
Species  :   V. duvaucelii (Lesson, 1826)

Conservation Status:

IUCN :   Near Threatened
CITES :   Not listed
IWPAA :   Schedule II
U.S. ESA :    Not listed

Distribution:

The River lapwing occurs in the northern Indian Subcontinent and much of South-East Asia, including India. In India, it breeds in the parts of East and Central India, including Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and eastern Madhya Pradesh, and disperses in winter to larger areas.

Distribution of River Lapwing (Source: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22693992/93432617)

Characteristics, Habitat and Behaviour:

The River lapwing grows to a length of 30 cm. It has a black forehead, crown and crest drooping over the back, sandy grey-brown above, black and white wings, black chin and throat that is bordered white, grey-brown breast band, white below with black patch on belly and a black spur at bend of the wing. Both the sexes are similarly plumaged; however, males are slightly larger than females.

Inhabiting large rivers and lakes, it prefers wide, slow moving rivers with sand banks or gravel bars and islands. It also often visits riverine vegetable and fallow fields with low and sparse crops and sandy soil. It favours melon beds on sand banks as nesting sites, presumably due to the little shade provided by the low plants.

Inhabiting large rivers and lakes, it prefers wide, slow moving rivers with sand banks or gravel bars and islands. It also often visits riverine vegetable and fallow fields with low and sparse crops and sandy soil. It favours melon beds on sand banks as nesting sites, presumably due to the little shade provided by the low plants.

Major Threats:

  • Hunting and collection of eggs and chicks by people, dogs and corvids across its range.
  • Habitat degradation due to encroachment and excessive disturbance. It is threatened by the incidental disturbance caused by people, livestock and dogs. The multitude of hydroelectric dam projects on large rivers in its range, pose potentially serious threats as they might alter flow regimes


References :

http://www.birds.iitk.ac.in

http://www.xeno-canto.org