Red-wattled Lapwing

Taxobox
name = Red-wattled Lapwing
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
status_ref = [IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=49174|title=Vanellus indicus|downloaded=11 May 2006]

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Charadriidae
genus = "Vanellus"
species = "V. indicus"
binomial = "Vanellus indicus"
binomial_authority = (Boddaert, 1783)
synonyms ="Hoplopterus indicus" (Boddaert, 1783)
"Lobivanellus indicus" (Boddaert, 1783)
"Tringa indica" Boddaert, 1783

The Red-wattled Lapwing ("Vanellus indicus"), (local names: _hi. "titeeri, titai, titori", _sd. "tAteehAr", _gu. "titodi" _ks. "hatatut", _as. "bAlighorA", _te. "yennappa chitawa", _ta. "alkati") is a lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae. It is sometimes called the "did-ye-do-it bird" due to its unmistakable call.cite book
title = Photographic guide to birds of India
last = Grewal
first = Bikram
authorlink = Bikram Grewal
coauthors = Bill Harvey and Otto Pfister
publisher = Periplus editions / Princeton University Press
address = Hong Kong
year = 2002
isbn = 0713664037
oclc = 59463879 p.179]

Distribution

It breeds from West Asia (Iraq, SW Iran, the Arabian/Persian Gulf) eastwards across South Asia (Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the entire Indian subcontinent up to Kanyakumari and up to 1800m in Kashmir/Nepal), with another sub-species further east in Southeast Asia. May migrate altitudinally in spring and autumn (e.g. in N. Baluchistan or NW Pakistan), and spreads out widely in the monsoons on creation of requisite habitats, but by and large the populations are resident.

This species is declining in its western range, but is abundant in much of South Asia, being seen at almost any wetland habitat in its range.

Description

Red-wattled Lapwings are large waders, about 35cm long (somewhat larger than a Rock Pigeon, with longer legs). The wings and back are light brown, but head and chest and front part of neck are black. Prominently white patch runs between these two colours, from belly and tail, flanking the neck to the sides of crown. Short tail is tipped black. A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye, black-tipped red bill, and the long legs are yellow. In flight, prominent white V-shaped wing bar.

Race "aigneri" is slightly paler and larger than the nominate race and is found in Afghanistan and the Indus valley. The nominate race is found all over India. The Sri Lankan race "lankae" is smaller and dark while "atronuchalis" the race in north-eastern India and eastern Bangladesh has a white cheek surrounded by black.cite book|year=2005|title=Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide|publisher=Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions|isbn=8487334679|author=Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C. Anderton ; plates by Jonathan Alderfer ... [et al.] .|oclc=60359701|unused_data=Rasmussen, PC & JC Anderton]

It usually keeps in pairs or trios in well-watered open country, ploughed fields, grazing land, and margins and dry beds of tanks and puddles. They occasionally form large flocks, especially in the Gangetic plains. [cite journal|author=Vyas, Rakesh|year=1997|title=Flocking and courtship display in Redwattled Lapwing ("Vanellus indicus")|journal=Journal of Bombay Natural Hist. Soc.|volume=94|pages= 406–407] It is also found in forest clearings around rain-filled depressions. It runs about in short spurts and dips forward obliquely (with unflexed legs) to pick up food in a typical plover manner.cite book
last = Ali
first = Salim
authorlink=Salim Ali (ornithologist)
title = Book of Indian Birds, Salim Ali centenary edition
year = 1996
publisher=Bombay Natural History Society/Oxford University Press
address = Mumbaip. 139] . Is uncannily and ceaselessly vigilant, day or night, and is the first to detect intrusions and raise an alarm, and therefore a nuisance to hunters. Flight rather slow, with deliberate flaps, but capable of remarkable agility when defending nest or being hunted by a hawk. cite book
last = Ali
first = Salim
authorlink=Salim Ali (ornithologist)
coauthors = Sidney Dillon Ripley
title = Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, 2nd ed.,10 vols
year = 1983
publisher=Oxford University Press
address = New Delhi
pages=vol. 2, p.212–214.]

Its striking appearance is supplemented by its noisy nature, with a loud and scolding "did-he-do-it" call, often uttered at night.

Nesting

Season: mainly March to August-September. Has a preference for marshes and similar freshwater wetland habitats. Lays eggs in a ground scrape or depression sometimes ringed around with pebbles, goat or hare droppings. [cite journal|author=Sharma,SK|year=1992|title=Use of droppings of Indian Hare for nest making by Redwattled Lapwing|journal=Newsl. For Birdwatchers|volume=32|issue=7&8|pages=19] About 3-4 black-blotched buff eggs shaped a bit like a peg-top (pyriform), 42x30 mm on average. Nests are difficult to find since eggs and nest usually match the ground to perfection. In residential areas, they sometimes take to nesting on roof tops. [cite journal|author=Mundkur,Taej|year=1985|title=Observations on the roof-nesting habit of the Redwattled Lapwing ("Vanellus indicus") in Poona, Maharashtra|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=82|issue=1|pages=194–196] [cite journal|author=Tehsin,Raza H; Lokhandwala,Juzer|year=1982|title=Unusual nesting of Redwattled Lapwing ("Vanellus indicus")|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=79|issue=2|pages=414] [cite journal|author=Desai,JH; Malhotra,AK|year=1976|title=A note on incubation period and reproductive success of the Redwattled Lapwing, "Vanellus indicus" at Delhi Zoological Park|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=73|issue=2|pages=392–394] When nesting they will attempt to dive bomb or distract potential predators. [cite journal|author=Rangaswami,S|year=1980|title=Lapwing fighting off cobra|journal=Newsl. For Birdwatchers|volume=20|issue=1|pages=13] [cite journal|author=Kalsi,RS; Khera,S|year=1987|title=Agonistic and distraction behaviour of the Redwattled Lapwing, "Vanellus indicus indicus"|journal=Pavo|volume=25|issue=1&2|pages=43–56] Like other lapwings, they soak their belly feathers to provide water to their chicks as well as to cool the eggs during hot weather. [cite journal|author=Sundararaman, V.|year=1989|title=Belly-soaking and nest wetting behaviour of Redwattled Lapwing, "Vanellus indicus" (Boddaert)|journal=Journal of Bombay Natural Hist. Soc. |volume=86|pages=242] [cite journal|author=Kalsi, R. S. & S. Khera|year=1990|title= Growth and development of the Red-wattled Lapwing "Vanellus indicus"|journal=Stilt|volume=17|pages=57–64]

The eggs are often collected by people and used in traditional remedies for asthma, typhoid. [cite journal|journal=Our Nature|year=2003|volume=1|pages=37–41|title=An Ethnobiological Study of the Tamang People|author=Ganesh Tamang|url=http://journals.sfu.ca/nepal/index.php/ON/article/view/303/295|format=PDF] [cite journal|author=Negi, Chandra S. Negi and Veerendra S. Palyal|title=Traditional Uses of Animal and Animal Products in Medicine and Rituals by the Shoka Tribes of District Pithoragarh, Uttaranchal, India|journal=Ethno-Med.|volume=1|issue=1|pages=47–54|year=2007|url=http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/S-EM/EM-01-1-000-000-2007-Web/EM-01-1-000-000-2007Abst-PDF/EM-01-1-047-054-2007-006-Negi-C-S/EM-01-1-047-054-006-Negi-C-S-Tt.pdf|format=PDF] [cite journal|author=Srinivas, K.V. & S. Subramanya|year=2000|title=Stealing of Redwattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus (Boddaert) and Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus (Boddaert) eggs by cowherds|journal=Journal of Bombay Natural Hist. Soc.|volume=97|issue=1|pages= 143–144]

Diet

Ants, beetles, caterpillars and other insects, snails and other invertebrates, mostly picked from the ground. Also a quantity of vegetable matter. Feeds in the day as well as night. A couple of species of tapeworm have been described as endoparasites. [cite journal|title=Two new tapeworm Panuwa ahilyai n. sp. and Panuwa shindei n. sp. from Vanellus indicus at Aurangabad, M.S., India |journal=Rivista di Parassitologia|author=Jadhav. V.; Nanware S. S.; Rao S. S. |year=1994|volume=55|issue=3|pages=379–384]

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.lapwingindia.com/ Lapwings in agricultural fields]