While a handful of feathered guys are timid and choose to hide others are loud and fearless. This one we're going to introduce is surely an extrovert of the birdie world. Today, meet the
masked lapwing bird (
Vanellus miles), a large, common, and conspicuous bird!
Source: Evan Lipton, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
This species is native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent, New Zealand and New Guinea. It is abundant in most open countries, being a common feature of urban parks, sporting fields, paddocks, riverbeds, wetlands, and coastal habitats.
Source: patrickkavanagh
This lapwing has a large yellow wattle across the forehead and hanging over the bill. There are two subspecies: southern "Black-shouldered" has a black shoulder band and a larger black cap. The northern subspecies lack a black shoulder band and have a larger yellow wattle. Only the "Black-shouldered" subspecies occur in New Zealand.
![masked lapwing]()
Source: Delia Walker, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia
These big guys are noisy with various distinctive calls, which can be heard at any time of the day or night: the warning call, a loud defending call, courtship calls, calls to its young, and others. Since the bird lives on the ground, it is always alert, and even though it rests, it never sleeps properly.
Source: Terence Alexander, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The birds spend much of their time on the ground, searching for worms and insects to feed on. When building nests, they are aggressive and assault other
animals, and can be a threat to aircraft.
Source: JJ Harrison
Source: Graham Winterflood
The masked lapwing likes to live together in a big family. The chick reaches full growth after four or five months and will often stay with the parents for about one to two years, resulting in family groups of three to five birds nesting in one location over the summer.
Source: patrickkavanagh
Source: Terence Alexander, Redland, Queensland, Australia
IUCN Red List classifies this lapwing as Least Concern. Their lifespan is approximately 16 years.
Source: Zebedee Muller, Moreland, Victoria, Australia
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