The white-tailed lapwing or white-tailed plover is a wader in the lapwing genus. The genus name Vanellus is Medieval Latin for a lapwing and derives from vannus a winnowing fan. The specific leucurus is from Ancient Greek leukouros, "white-tailed".
Region
Western and Central Asia
Typical Environment
Breeds in shallow freshwater and brackish marshes, steppe lakes, and seasonally flooded plains from the Middle East through Central Asia. Winters mainly in the Middle East, the Nile Valley and nearby northeast Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. Frequently uses irrigated agriculture, rice fields, and sewage ponds where shallow water and open margins occur. Avoids dense emergent vegetation and deep water, favoring open muddy edges and short, sparse cover. Occasional vagrants reach southeastern Europe.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The white-tailed lapwing, also called the white-tailed plover, is a graceful wader noted for its long yellow legs and striking white tail flashed in flight. It often uses shallow man-made wetlands such as irrigated fields and sewage lagoons in addition to natural marshes. During breeding it performs distraction displays to lure predators away from its ground nest. It is a scarce but regular migrant in parts of the Middle East and South Asia and an occasional vagrant to Europe.
near Hodal in Faridabad District of Haryana, India
Temperament
wary yet tolerant at open wetlands
Flight Pattern
buoyant with shallow, quick wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often in small groups or loose flocks outside the breeding season. Nests on the ground in a simple scrape near shallow water, typically in loose colonies or scattered pairs. Both parents incubate and use distraction displays to deter predators. Chicks are precocial and leave the nest shortly after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Voice is a soft, fluty whistle, often rendered as a clear 'pee-wee' or 'plee-wee'. Alarm calls are sharper, repeated piping notes given in flight or when intruders approach the nest.
