Meadow birds

Northern Lapwing

Acrobat of the sky

Lapwings are typical meadow birds. Nevertheless, they are now often seen on arable land, as they prefer areas with short and sparse vegetation, e.g. stubble fields. They forage mainly in or on top of the soil. Their diet consists of insects, such as beetles, caterpillars and grasshoppers, but they also eat other small animals, such as worms, or vegetable food.

Lapwings are usually active during the day, but they can also be heard calling during bright nights. They are social birds, as their clutches are often laid in colonies and defended together. Characteristic features of Lapwings are their acrobatic flight manoeuvres and the black curl of feathers on their head, the so-called crest.

Profile

Scientific name	Vanellus vanellus
Call	Peewit … peewit
Food	Small invertebrates, sometimes seeds
In breeding grounds	February to June
Clutch size	3–4, usually 4 eggs
Broods per year	1–2
Population trend in Europe	Declining

Pictures

A Northern Lapwing seen from the side. Clearly visible are its characteristic crest... — Northern Lapwing portrait. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN

A Northern Lapwing standing in short grass vegetation. Clearly visible are its... — A Northern Lapwing with the clearly visible characteristic crest feathers. Photo: O. Lange/NLWKN

More than 30 Northern Lapwings stand in shallow water. Some are cleaning their plumage. — A group of Northern Lapwings resting in shallow water. Photo: O. Lange/NLWKN

A Northern Lapwing with spread wings in the air. It is flying close to the ground. In the... — A Northern Lapwing flying close to the ground in the project area Dümmer. Photo: O. Lange/NLWKN

Around 50 flying Northern Lapwings, seen from below. In the back is a clear blue sky. — A flock of flying Northern Lapwings. Photo: O. Lange/NLWKN

A Northern Lapwing rests on the ground, surrounded by short grass vegetation. You cannot... — Breeding Northern Lapwing. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN

A Northern Lapwing rests on the ground, surrounded by very short grass vegetation. In... — Northern Lapwing with three young chicks. Photo: T. Krüger/NLWKN

Two small chicks walk through short vegetation on wet soil. Their feathers look very... — Young Northern Lapwing chicks. Photo: C. Marlow/NLWKN

More information

Find out more about the Northern Lapwing.

Habitat

The Lapwing is a breeding bird of open, largely woodless habitats. It prefers absent or short vegetation. These structures are mainly found in wet grasslands. Where this is lacking, the Lapwing also tries to breed in maize stubble fields and freshly tilled fields, but this is often unsuccessful.

Migration

Lapwings are migratory birds. From February to June they are in their breeding grounds, which include the German state of Lower Saxony and the Dutch province of Fryslân.

When their chicks have fledged, both adult and young birds migrate to north-western Europe (e.g. France or Great Britain) to spend the winter there. In mild winters, Lapwings sometimes winter in northern Germany.

Conservation

For the protection of the Lapwing, it is essential to conserve and restore suitable habitats. This includes, in particular, the rewetting of grasslands with shallow waters and shallow shore areas. Areas suitable for the Lapwing may only be managed extensively, i.e. without fertilisers and pesticides, among other things.

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