Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In flight with wing spurs clearly visible. The masked lapwing is the largest representative of the family Charadriidae.It measures from 30 to 37 cm (12 to 15 in) in length and has a wingspan of 75–85 cm (30–33 in), and has a conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of each wing.
The traditional terms "plover", "lapwing", and "dotterel" do not correspond exactly to current taxonomic models; thus, several of the Vanellinae are often called plovers, and one a dotterel, while a few of the "true" plovers (subfamily Charadriinae) are known colloquially as lapwings. In general, a lapwing can be thought of as a larger plover.
This lapwing is the only crested wader in South America. It is 32 to 38 cm (13 to 15 in) in length and weighs approximately 250 to 425 g (8.8 to 15.0 oz). The upperparts are mainly brownish grey, with a bronze glossing on the shoulders.
In most genera, the sexes are similar, very little sexual dimorphism occurs between sexes. They range in size from the collared plover, at 26 grams and 14 cm (5.5 in), to the masked lapwing, at 368 grams (0.811 pounds) and 35 cm (14 in).
After World War II, gull's eggs filled the niche once occupied by plover's eggs, which had become harder to obtain because of diminishing lapwing populations and increased regulation. In 1955, the American magazine The Atlantic quoted a Londoner about the transition: "There were two reasons for plover eggs. They were expensive, and it enraged ...
The atoll is an American wildlife refuge almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly one-third of the way between Hawaii and American Samoa. This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of ...
The northern lapwing is a 28–33 cm (11–13 in) long bird with a 67–87 cm (26–34 in) wingspan and a body mass of 128–330 g (4.5–11.6 oz). [10] It has rounded wings and a crest. It is also the shortest-legged of the lapwings. It is mainly black and white, but the back is tinted green.
Linnaeus based his account on a description by the Swedish naturalist Fredrik Hasselquist that had been published in 1757. [5] The spur-winged lapwing is now one of 23 species placed in the genus Vanellus that was introduced in 1760 by the French naturalist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [6]