Red-wattled Lapwing

Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)

The Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is a medium sized wader in the family of plovers ( Charadriidae ). There are four subspecies.

Description

Rotlappenkiebitze reach a body length of 32-35 inches. They are therefore in the size of a lapwing. Males and females are similar in appearance.

The yellow legs and red beak with black tips are relatively long. The top plumage has a light brown color with a green - metallic approach. The bird has a black crown, black feathers on the front face area, black breast plumage and black tips of the white tail feathers. Each located on the sides of the face, a red cloth of the Beak root to the eyes. At the rear face area, the plumage is white, which expires in a white underside feathers down. In flight, a broad white band is visible, which runs diagonally across the wing. The primaries, primary coverts and outer secondaries are black. The upper tail-coverts and tail feathers are white. The tail has a black terminal band width.

Young birds have a duller and brownish slurred head drawing. The chin and throat are whitish. The red skin flaps are in young birds less pronounced than in adult birds.

Distribution and habitat

The breeding areas of Rotlappenkiebitzes located in wetlands and along rivers in Iraq, Iran and southern Russia. The birds that breed in the south of Russia, migrate in winter to South Asia such as India and East Africa and West Africa. As an infrequent visitor to the Red-wattled Lapwing is also found in Western Europe. The distribution area of each subspecies is distributed as follows:

• Vanellus indicus indicus The nominate form is found in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
• The subspecies Vanellus indicus Lanka is widespread in Sri Lanka
• The subspecies Vanellus indicus atronuchalis comes from northeastern India and Myanmar before to Malaysia and Vietnam.
• The subspecies Vanellus indicus aigneri colonized the southeast of Turkey, Iraq, the south and east, Iran to the south of Turkmenistan, the east Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Indus.

The Red-wattled Lapwing is mainly inland near waters. It can be observed on mud surfaces at ponds, ditches, canals and rivers. He is a synanthropic and is particularly common in wide area irrigated fields, but can also be observed in grassy or rocky wasteland.

Rotlappenkiebitze are mostly resident birds with only short walks during dry periods or after rainfall. The small number of breeding birds in Turkmenistan, however, are migratory birds that overwinter in Afghanistan or Pakistan, and return in the second half of April to Turkmenistan. There are only a few information regarding the inventory figures. In the south of Iran, the Red-wattled Lapwing is a widespread and common bird. Maybe the kind benefits from the fact that in the Iranian agriculture increasingly artificial irrigation is employed. In Iraq, the stock figures probably took off dramatically after there were drained in the 1990s, large-scale wetlands.

Way of life

Rotlappenkiebitze looking especially during the night for food. They eat mostly ground-dwelling vertebrates such as beetles, ants, grasshoppers and termites. In addition, mollusks, worms and crustaceans are taken.

The nests are usually built directly on the ground and are usually found near water. The flat Nistmulde is often covered with small stones or other material. The nest consists of three to four eggs. These are buff with a yellowish or greenish approach and have black brown spots and speckles on. Both parents birds breed, but the larger share of the breeding females. Incubation period is 26 days.