Pied lapwing  (Vanellus cayanus)

Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).

A small and rather attractive bird, the pied lapwing is boldly patterned in black and white, with brownish-grey wings and back, a bright red eye ring, and long, bright red legs. The crown is sandy brown, circled with white, while the forehead, sides of the head and back of the neck are black, and a black breast band crosses otherwise white underparts. A conspicuous white and black band runs down the scapulars (‘shoulders’), and the beak is also black (2) (3). The male and female pied lapwing are similar in appearance, while the juvenile resembles the adult, but has a browner mask, a smaller, dusky grey breast band, and less developed scapular markings (2). In flight, the primaries and the outer half of the tail appear black, while most of the inner half of the wings, together with the rump and the base of the tail, are white (2) (3). The call is a quick, whistled wheé-whoo (3).

The pied lapwing is found in South America, east of the Andes mountains, from eastern Colombia, east to the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil, and south to Paraguay, southeastern Brazil, and the extreme north of Argentina (2) (3).

The pied lapwing inhabits mudflats, sand bars, sandy banks of ponds and rivers, and freshwater pools. It can also be found along the coast (2) (3).

The biology of the pied lapwing is not well known. Usually seen alone, or sometimes in small groups, the species often stands quietly near water, or runs short distances across the sand, stopping occasionally to search the ground for prey (3). The diet is thought to include a variety of insects, as well as snails (2). The pied lapwing may perform undulating flight displays during the breeding season, which may be around May to July in some areas (2). The nest is simply a slight depression in the ground, and two to three eggs are laid (2) (3). Little other information is available on the breeding behaviour of this species, but Charles Darwin, during his travels on HMS Beagle, noted that the adult pied lapwing may perform a distraction display, pretending to be wounded to draw potential predators away from the nest (4).

The pied lapwing is not believed to be globally threatened, although population sizes and trends have yet to be quantified (2) (5). Little information is available on the potential threats faced by this species.

There are no known conservation measures in place for the pied lapwing. More research may be needed to quantify population trends and to identify any threats before any conservation measures, if necessary, can be put in place.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

To read more about the pied lapwing, see:

• del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. and Sargatal, J. (1996) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
• BirdLife International:
  http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3174&m=0