The northern lapwing, also known as the peewit or pewit, tuit or tewit, green plover, or pyewipe or just lapwing, is a bird in the lapwing subfamily. It is common through temperate Eurosiberia.
Region
Temperate Eurasia
Typical Environment
Breeds widely across Europe and into temperate western and central Asia, favoring open, damp grasslands, pastures, and agricultural fields. In winter it moves south and west to milder parts of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. It frequents coastal estuaries, mudflats, stubble fields, and floodplains outside the breeding season. Nests are shallow scrapes on the ground in areas with short vegetation and nearby wet patches. The species avoids dense cover and relies on open vistas to detect predators.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the peewit for its ringing 'pee-wit' call, the northern lapwing is famous for its striking crest and iridescent green sheen. It performs dramatic display flights with tumbles and wing claps during courtship. Ground-nesting in open farmland and wetlands makes it vulnerable to early mowing, drainage, and predation. Conservation measures often focus on maintaining wet meadows and delaying agricultural operations near nests.
A northern lapwing mobbing a Western marsh harrier near its nest
![Lapwing Incubating Its Eggs—A photograph for which in 1895 R. B. Lodge received from the Royal Photographic Society the first medal ever presented for nature photography. Eric Hosking and Harold Lowes stated their — incorrect — belief that this was the first photograph of a wild bird.[18] However, Ottomar Anschütz had photographed wild white storks (Ciconia ciconia) in 1884.[19]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Lapwing_incubating_its_eggs_-_1895_-_Reginald_Badham_Lodge.jpg/320px-Lapwing_incubating_its_eggs_-_1895_-_Reginald_Badham_Lodge.jpg)
Lapwing Incubating Its Eggs—A photograph for which in 1895 R. B. Lodge received from the Royal Photographic Society the first medal ever presented for nature photography. Eric Hosking and Harold Lowes stated their — incorrect — belief that this was the first photograph of a wild bird.[18] However, Ottomar Anschütz had photographed wild white storks (Ciconia ciconia) in 1884.[19]
King Philip II with a feather in his cap.
Temperament
social outside breeding, territorial when nesting
Flight Pattern
buoyant with slow, deep wingbeats; agile display tumbles
Social Behavior
Forms large, loose flocks outside the breeding season and roosts communally on open ground. During breeding, pairs defend territories, and males perform aerial displays and wing clapping to attract mates. Nests are simple ground scrapes with 3–4 eggs, and adults vigorously mob predators.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A fluty, onomatopoeic 'pee-wit' or 'peewit' carries over open fields, often given during display flights. Soft chirps and harsher alarm calls are used near the nest, sometimes accompanied by mechanical wing claps.
