RSPB Scotland’s Helen Cromarty shares some interesting information about the familiar farmland birds, the lapwing
Lapwing: A wader with style
To me they are one of the most stunning and majestic waders in Scotland. Something about their black crest on their heads, and their dark, green-blue back with an almost oily sheen about it makes these birds quite distinct from other waders. Along with these features they can be recognised by their rounded black and white wings; white breast and pinky feet; the black from the crest continuing down the front of the face, and the white feathers on the sides and backs of their heads. Their flying displays, both when in flocks and during courtship are distinctive; the flashes of their black and white rounded wings are a joy to watch. In courtship, they also perform a spectacular aerobatic, tumbling display which causes their stiff feathers to make a humming sound. They also have a unique shrilling call that sounds like a wheezing “Pee-wit”. This is so distinctive that they are often referred to as ‘Peewits’.
Lapwing in flight Credit: John Bridges rspb-images.comThey start nesting in March in small scrapes on bare ground, which are made by the males and chosen by the females. They line this with soft material and lay 4 eggs which are incubated for nearly a month. The chicks are then cared for by both adults and they generally fledge at 35-40 days old. To maintain their population, lapwing pairs need to fledge 0.6 young each year. This is achievable in habitats with rough grazing and unimproved grasslands, but sadly these habitats are less and less abundant.While Lapwings are seen in Britain and Ireland all year round, some lapwings do migrate; some to France and Spain in the autumn while others only seem to move about 100km. Lapwings from eastern areas including Russia arrive here from June to November. They are widespread across Britain and Ireland and are usually seen in lowland farmland and prefer areas of rough grazing and unimproved farmland. They feed mainly on earthworms as well as beetles, ants, flies, caterpillars, some plant material, and even snails and small frogs. They forage for their prey in shallow water edges and damp grasslands.
Lapwing numbers in Scotland have dropped by 29 per cent since 1987 and sadly they are on the UK red list of conservation concern. Declines were first caused in the early 1900s when it was fashionable to use their eggs in food. To combat this a new law was put in place called the ‘Lapwing Act 1926’. This resulted in a substantial return in numbers of lapwings. In the 1940s extensive agricultural changes including grassland being converted to arable fields, and the introduction of chemicals such as fertilisers caused further declines.
Lapwing Credit: John Bowler rspb-images.com
Now special schemes called ‘Agri-environmental schemes’ are available to land managers across the UK. These schemes provide grants to help them manage their land for the benefit of lapwings by planting a variety of spring sown crops and grasslands, maintaining damp areas, and managing grazing.
In 2017, RSPB Scotland staff re-designed the pond at our Nigg Bay reserve (which the team had created 15 years earlier) by turning it into a scrape (a broad shallow pond with lots of islands and lots of shallow muddy edges). This habitat is rich in invertebrates, making it ideal feeding grounds for these waders, and the islands provide safe nesting areas. At the same reserve, areas of the grassland are also kept short enough for the waders, and particularly lapwings, to get in to feed, but also long enough for them to hide from predators. This management is also done at many other reserves around the country.
Nigg Bay scrape Credit: Davey Munro
Find out more about lapwing here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lapwing/