Yes – the crested cutey is back! But will it fly to victory?
Pinch those cheeks and coddle those crests, wader watchers, it’s the adorable Lapwing! A medium-sized wading bird famous for its ‘pee-wi’ call, which sounds you’re tuning an old radio, Lapwings look sweet. However, behind those big round eyes, iridescent plumage, and cracking carnival crests, there’s a deceptive streak.
From false nests and fake injuries to mob tactics, in the wild, Lapwings use their talents to bamboozle predators and lure them away from their flock, eggs and chicks. For Bird of the Year, this magical mob’ll use their streetwise skills to win your vote.
Watch closely as these sleight of wing artists perform the plover family’s most famous illusions, including the amazing, magically-healing broken wing. We approached the Lapwing community for comment ahead of the final, but all we found was a puff of smoke, a series of fake nests and a message from the mob warning us to leave town.
Male Lapwings perform an acrobatic, tumbling display flight to woo females.
Like many members of the plover family, Lapwings really do pretend to have broken wings to fool predators.
A flock of Lapwings is known as a ‘deceit’... or IS it... yes, yes it is...
The Lapwing has overcome some serious obstacles to return to the BoTY final. Since the 1960s, numbers of Lapwings have fallen by 55% in the UK, and the species has experienced local extinctions in western areas.
A major cause of their decline is the intensification of farming practices which leads to the loss of suitable nest sites, and climate change-induced early grass cutting which can destroy Lapwing nests. That’s why we made Lapwings an RSPB Priority Species and work closely with farmers and on our reserves to provide the best possible conditions to help them flourish.
Cards on the table, the lovely Lapwing deserves your support... so, will you back the Lap?
