Spur-Winged Lapwing Vanellus Spinosus

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Spur-Winged Lapwing Vanellus Spinosus Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae Characteristics: Also known as the spur-winged plover (not to be confused with the recently renamed masked lapwing of Australasia), this lapwing is a wading bird identified by their striking white cheek feathers, black head cap, brown wings against a black body and long black legs. Behavior: In Africa, lapwings don’t travel far outside their home area but merely make short movements to find wetter areas of their habitats. They spend Range & Habitat: their time searching the marshy ground for small invertebrates. Marshes and wetland habitats of central Africa Reproduction: Because of their large range, these birds have variable breeding seasons. Spur-winged lapwings nest in solitary monogamous pairs, often with other mixed species bird nesting colonies. The large nesting groups help protect the birds in the colonies against predation. The lapwing pair will build a nest in a scrape on the ground sometimes lined with vegetation. The female lays 2 eggs that are yellow with brownish black mottling. They hatch after a 28-day incubation period and both sexes help feed the young. If they double-clutch, the male tends the older chicks while the female incubates the second brood (Sacramento Zoo). Lifespan: over 15 years in Diet: captivity, up to 15 years in the Wild: Invertebrates wild. Zoo: softbill, feline diet, capelin, mealworms and insectivore diet Special Adaptations: Spur- Conservation: winged lapwings have a unique Spur-winged lapwings are abundant in their range in Africa and as such call that acts as an alert when are listed as Least Concern by IUCN. humans are near. FYI: The bird gets its name from a small spur-like appendage hidden in each of IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern its wings. They may use this wing-claw to attack other animals who may be threatening them or their offspring (Beauty of Birds). .
Recommended publications
  • The Wrybill <I>Anarhynchus Frontalis</I>: a Brief Review of Status, Threats and Work in Progress
    The Wrybill Anarhynchus frontalis: a brief review of status, threats and work in progress ADRIAN C. RIEGEN '1 & JOHN E. DOWDING 2 •231 ForestHill Road, Waiatarua, Auckland 8, NewZealand, e-maih riegen @xtra.co. nz; 2p.o. BOX36-274, Merivale, Christchurch 8030, New Zealand, e-maih [email protected]. nz Riegen,A.C. & Dowding, J.E. 2003. The Wrybill Anarhynchusfrontalis:a brief review of status,threats and work in progress.Wader Study Group Bull. 100: 20-24. The Wrybill is a threatenedplover endemic to New Zealandand unique in havinga bill curvedto the right.It is specializedfor breedingon bareshingle in thebraided riverbeds of Canterburyand Otago in the SouthIsland. After breeding,almost the entirepopulation migrates north and wintersin the harboursaround Auckland. The speciesis classifiedas Vulnerable. Based on countsof winteringflocks, the population currently appears to number4,500-5,000 individuals.However, countingproblems mean that trendsare difficult to determine. The mainthreats to theWrybill arebelieved to be predationon thebreeding grounds, degradation of breeding habitat,and floodingof nests.In a recentstudy in the MackenzieBasin, predation by introducedmammals (mainly stoats,cats and possibly ferrets) had a substantialimpact on Wrybill survivaland productivity. Prey- switchingby predatorsfollowing the introductionof rabbithaemorrhagic disease in 1997 probablyincreased predationrates on breedingwaders. A recentstudy of stoatsin the TasmanRiver showedthat 11% of stoat densexamined contained Wrybill remains.Breeding habitat is beinglost in somerivers and degraded in oth- ers,mainly by waterabstraction and flow manipulation,invasion of weeds,and human recreational use. Flood- ing causessome loss of nestsbut is alsobeneficial, keeping nesting areas weed-free. The breedingrange of the speciesappears to be contractingand fragmenting, with the bulk of the popula- tion now breedingin three large catchments.
    [Show full text]
  • Wattled Plovers Arrived to Breed at Carolina During September, Left During March (Little 1967), and the Timing Suggests That They Move to Zimbabwe
    400 Charadriidae: plovers be caused by seasonal changes in habitat quality, mostly the availability of short-grass habitat near water. Cold winters at high altitudes with heavy frosts may reduce prey levels to the extent that birds are forced to move. Numbers in Zimbabwe increase during the period late-March to August (Tree 1977). Wattled Plovers arrived to breed at Carolina during September, left during March (Little 1967), and the timing suggests that they move to Zimbabwe. In Zambia there is consider- able movement out of the country during the rains when habitat becomes flooded and overgrown, and it is likely to move to the Caprivi Strip and Okavango Delta (Tree 1969; Aspinwall 1986). Little (1967) found that birds were already in pairs when they arrived and that these pairs were philopatric. Breeding: The season is September–January, with most breeding recorded October–November. The nest site is usually in open grassland, with good visibility. It is highly territorial during the breeding season, excluding conspecifics and many other bird species from its territory which can be large (3–6 ha) Wattled Plover and does not necessarily include the nest site (Little 1967). Lelkiewiet Interspecific relationships: It does not breed within the habitat of any other plover and does not appear to compete Vanellus senegallus with them. It sometimes feeds in loose association with Black- smith V. armatus, Crowned V. coronatus, Blackwinged V. The Wattled Plover occurs widely in sub-Saharan Africa, but melanopterus and Lesser Blackwinged V. lugubris Plovers, is absent from tropical rainforest and arid regions in the north- and Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii (Ward east and southwest.
    [Show full text]
  • Bird Watching in Australia
    Birdwatching in Australia Let’s Go Birdwatching! Practice your students’ observation skills as they learn about the Fort Wayne PROGRAM GOALS Learn about how Children’s Zoo marine animals and their habitat. Each bird will be doing Australian birds something different in their habitat, so join us and help us identify each bird’s Discuss their traits, behaviors. See below for a variety of questions to engage your student even coloration, and further: other interesting observations Can you describe how they are moving? Are they eating, nesting, or what are they doing? GRADES Are they communicating? What do they sound like? 3rd to 5th Can you describe their colors, patterns, and more? MATERIALS Have students complete the worksheet as they watch the video or observe the Pencils birds at the zoo. If at the zoo, give students five to ten minutes per animal to Clipboards create observations of their chosen birds. Have students form small groups to RECOMMENDED discuss different behaviors and characteristics of their birds. Share different facts ASSESSMENT about the listed birds from the video to the discussion. Be on the lookout for other birds’ behaviors at the zoo! Share your lessons with the Fort Wayne Grade worksheet based on Children’ Zoo. Tag #fwkidszoo or email [email protected] to express how completeness you used these supplemental activities! Assess students on appropriateness of Different Types of Birds: words used to Rainbow Lorikeet: They have a green plumage with describe birds bright red, yellow, and orange feathers on the breast, neck, and sides of the belly. Their head is often in violet blue.
    [Show full text]
  • Managing Bird Strike Risk Species Information Sheets
    MANAGING BIRD STRIKE RISK SPECIES INFORMATION SHEETS AIRPORT PRACTICE NOTE 6 1 SILVER GULL 2 2 MASKED LAPWING 7 3 DUCK 12 4 RAPTORS 16 5 IBIS 22 6 GALAH 28 7 AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE 33 8 FERAL PIGEON 37 9 FLYING-FOX 42 10 BLACK KITE 47 11 PELICAN 50 12 MARTIN AND SWALLOW 54 13 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 58 Legislative Protection Given to Each Species 58 Land Use Planning Near Airports 59 Bird Management at Off-airport Sites 61 Managing Birds at Landfills 62 Reducing the Water Attraction 63 Grass Management 64 Reporting Wildlife Strikes 65 Using Pyrotechnics 66 Knowing When and How to Lethal Control 67 Types of Dispersal Tools 68 What is Separation-based Management 69 How to Use Data 70 Health and Safety: Handling Biological Remains 71 Getting Species Identification Right 72 Defining a Wildlife Strike 73 CONTENTS PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2015 ii MANAGING BIRD STRIKE RISK SPECIES INFORMATION SHEETS INTRODUCTION The Australian Airports Association (AAA) commissioned These new and revised fact sheets provide airport preparation of this Airport Practice Note to provide members with useful information and data regarding 1 SILVER GULL 2 aerodrome operators with species information fact common wildlife species around Australian aerodromes sheets to assist them to manage the wildlife hazards and how best to manage these animals. The up-to-date 2 MASKED LAPWING 7 at their aerodrome. The species information fact sheets suite of species information fact sheets will provide were originally published in June 2004 by the Australian aerodrome operators with access to data, information 3 DUCK 12 Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as Bird Information and management techniques for the species posing Fact Sheets.
    [Show full text]
  • Foot-Trembling in the Spur-Winged Plover (Vanellus Miles Novaehollandiae)
    Notornis, 2001, Vol. 48: 59-60 0029-4470 0The Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Inc. 2001 SHORT NOTE Foot-trembling in the spur-winged plover (Vanellus miles novaehollandiae) BRUCE R. KEELEY 13 The Glebe, Howick, Auckland 1705 millkee@ nznetgen. nz A range of distinct foot and leg movements, associated alternately It was not clear whether or not the foot made with feeding behaviour, has been described in several contact with the mud, though at times it appeared to be Palearctic-breeding charadriids, and the possible adaptive 'leg-shaking' rather than 'foot-tapping' that was involved. significance of such movements in the search and There was no obvious correlation between the foot capture of prey has been debated (Simmonds 1961a, b; movement and any subsequent capture of prey Sparks 1961). The range of movements has been broadly While, amongst the lapwings (Subfamily Mnellinae), divided into 'foot-trembling' (involving 1 leg at a time), similar behaviour is well documented in the Eurasian and 'foot-paddling' (where both feet are involved), lapwing (Cramp 1983), perusal of literature on the spur- (Simmonds 1961b). Species in which this behaviour had winged plover/masked lapwing yielded only 2 references: been observed included Eurasian lapwing (Knellus Barlow (1983), in describing elements of feeding vanellus), little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius), ringed behaviour which must be learned bv/J iuvenile ~lovers. plover (C. hiaticula), Kentish plover (C. alexandrinus), refers to 'the foot tremor, the lunge, the stab'; and Frith and dotterel (C, morinellus). (1969) states that 'on wet ground they shuffle 1 foot In New Zealand. foot-tremblingu in the black-fronted and stand on the other, and they thus flush prey animals.' dotterel (C.
    [Show full text]
  • Supplementary Information
    Supporting Information Balk et al. 10.1073/pnas.0902903106 Movie S1. A paralyzed herring gull (Larus argentatus). This movie shows a specimen from the County of So¨ dermanland (region G in Fig. 1). Both wings are equally paralyzed and the beak has no strength, whereas mobility and control of the head still remain. In this work we demonstrate that the probability to remedy an individual in this condition by thiamine treatment is very high. The movie is taken in the field, but the specimen is placed on a black tablecloth in order to remove disturbing background and enhance contrast. Movie S1 (AVI) Other Supporting Information Files SI Appendix Balk et al. www.pnas.org/cgi/content/short/0902903106 1of1 Supporting Information Wild birds of declining European species are dying from a thiamine deficiency syndrome L. Balk*, P.-Å. Hägerroth, G. Åkerman, M. Hanson, U. Tjärnlund, T. Hansson, G. T. Hallgrimsson, Y. Zebühr, D. Broman, T. Mörner, H. Sundberg *Corresponding author: [email protected] Contents Pages M & M Materials and Methods. 2–10 Text S1 Additional bird species affected by the paralytic disease. 11 Text S2 Additional results for eggs. 12–13 Text S3 Results for liver body index (LBI) in pulli. 14–15 Text S4 Breeding output and population estimates. 16–18 Text S5 Elaborated discussion of important aspects. 19–27 Acknowl. Further acknowledgements. 28 Fig. S1 a–j The 83 locations where samples were collected. 29–30 Fig. S2 a–d Pigmentation changes in the iris of the herring gull (Larus argentatus). 31 Fig. S3 Liver α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH) in common black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus).
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix A. Supplementary Material
    Appendix A. Supplementary material Comprehensive taxon sampling and vetted fossils help clarify the time tree of shorebirds (Aves, Charadriiformes) David Cernˇ y´ 1,* & Rossy Natale2 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, USA 2Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, USA *Corresponding Author. Email: [email protected] Contents 1 Fossil Calibrations 2 1.1 Calibrations used . .2 1.2 Rejected calibrations . 22 2 Outgroup sequences 30 2.1 Neornithine outgroups . 33 2.2 Non-neornithine outgroups . 39 3 Supplementary Methods 72 4 Supplementary Figures and Tables 74 5 Image Credits 91 References 99 1 1 Fossil Calibrations 1.1 Calibrations used Calibration 1 Node calibrated. MRCA of Uria aalge and Uria lomvia. Fossil taxon. Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758). Specimen. CASG 71892 (referred specimen; Olson, 2013), California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA. Lower bound. 2.58 Ma. Phylogenetic justification. As in Smith (2015). Age justification. The status of CASG 71892 as the oldest known record of either of the two spp. of Uria was recently confirmed by the review of Watanabe et al. (2016). The younger of the two marine transgressions at the Tolstoi Point corresponds to the Bigbendian transgression (Olson, 2013), which contains the Gauss-Matuyama magnetostratigraphic boundary (Kaufman and Brigham-Grette, 1993). Attempts to date this reversal have been recently reviewed by Ohno et al. (2012); Singer (2014), and Head (2019). In particular, Deino et al. (2006) were able to tightly bracket the age of the reversal using high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of two tuffs in normally and reversely magnetized lacustrine sediments from Kenya, obtaining a value of 2.589 ± 0.003 Ma.
    [Show full text]
  • International Journal of Biodiversity Andconservation
    OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Biodiversity andConservation February 2019 ISSN 2141-243X DOI: 10.5897/IJBC www.academicjournals.org About IJBC International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation (IJBC)provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of the subject such as Information Technology and its Applications in Environmental Management and Planning, Environmental Management and Technologies, Green Technology and Environmental Conservation, Health: Environment and Sustainable Development etc. The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published shortly after acceptance. All articles published in IJBC are peer reviewed. Indexing The International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation is indexed in: CAB Abstracts, CABI’s Global Health Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Dimensions Database, Google Scholar, Matrix of Information for The Analysis of Journals (MIAR), Microsoft Academic IJBC has an h5-index of 13 on Google Scholar Metrics Open Access Policy Open Access is a publication model that enables the dissemination of research articles to the global community without restriction through the internet. All articles published under open access can be accessed by anyone with internet connection. The International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation is an Open Access journal. Abstracts and full texts of all articles published in this journal are freely accessible to everyone immediately after publication without any form of restriction. Article License All articles published by International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This permits anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transmit and adapt the work provided the original work and source is appropriately cited.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology and Conservation of Australia's Shorebirds
    Ecology and Conservation of Australia’s Shorebirds Robert Scott Clemens B.S. Wildlife Biology M.S. Natural Resources A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 School of Biological Sciences 1 Abstract Global biodiversity continues to decline rapidly, and addressing this situation requires an understanding of both the problems and the solutions. This understanding is urgently required for animals occupying wetlands, among the most threatened of all habitats globally. In this thesis I focus on the ecology and conservation of shorebirds, a group comprising many threatened and declining species dependent on wetlands throughout much of their annual cycle. I focus on threats operating within Australia, where wetland loss and degradation continues due to human activity. Non-migratory shorebird species that travel widely across Australia’s inland wetlands have been reported as declining in eastern Australia, but a national assessment is lacking. Migratory shorebird species that visit Australia from breeding grounds overseas appear to be declining most due to factors beyond Australia’s borders, but it is not clear if threats located in Australia are exacerbating these declines. I make the most of the rich data available on shorebirds in Australia to address these knowledge gaps, in the hopes of better targeting shorebird conservation actions in Australia. In chapter one I introduce the importance of conserving migratory and highly mobile species. I then review how pulses in resource availability such as those exemplified by Australia’s ephemeral wetlands impact wildlife populations. I also provide an overview of shorebird conservation in Australia. These introductions provide the theoretical underpinning for the work presented later, and highlight the challenges inherent in understanding where and when highly mobile species such as shorebirds have been impacted.
    [Show full text]
  • Bird Sightings January/February 1997 Summary
    BIRD OBSERVER © Barry Van Dusen VOL. 25 NO. 3 JUNE 1997 BIRD OBSERVER • bimonthly journal • To enhance understanding, observation, and enjoyment of birds. Ma S S ^ VOL. 25, NO. 3 JUNE 1997 Editor in Chief Board of Directors Corporate Officers Matthew L. Pelikan Dorothy R. Atvidson President Associate Editor Marjorie W. Rines Alden G. Clayton Janet L. Heywood Treasurer & Clerk Department Heads William E. Davis, Jr. Glenn d’Entremont Assistant Clerk Cover Art H. Christian Floyd John A. Shetterly William E. Davis, Jr. Janet L. Heywood Where to Go Birding Subscription Manager Harriet E. Hoffman Jim Berry Carolyn Marsh Feature Articles Matthew L. Pelikan Advertisements Guy Washburn Marta Hersek Wayne R. Petersen Book Reviews Associate Staff John A. Shetterly Alden G. Clayton Theodore Atkinson Bird Sightings Robert H. Stymeist David E. Lange Robert H. Stymeist Patricia A. O’Neill Simon Perkins At a Glance Pamela A. Perry Wayne R. Petersen BIRD OBSERVER (USPS 369-850) is published bimonthly, COPYRIGHT © 1997 by Bird Observer of Eastern Massachusetts, Inc., 462 Trapelo Road, Belmont, MA 02178, a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts to Bird Observer will be greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BIRD OBSERVER, 462 Trapelo Road, Belmont, MA 02178. PERIODICALS CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT BOSTON, MA. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $21 for 6 issues, $40 for two years in the U.S. Add $2.50 per year for Canada and foreign. Single copies $4.00. An Index to Volumes 1-11 is $3. Back issues: inquire as to price and availability.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Habitat Variability and Interactions Around Nesting Cavities in Shaping Urban Bird Communities
    The role of habitat variability and interactions around nesting cavities in shaping urban bird communities Andrew Munro Rogers BSc, MSc Photo: A. Rogers A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2018 School of Biological Sciences Andrew Rogers PhD Thesis Thesis Abstract Inter-specific interactions around resources, such as nesting sites, are an important factor by which invasive species impact native communities. As resource availability varies across different environments, competition for resources and invasive species impacts around those resources change. In urban environments, changes in habitat structure and the addition of introduced species has led to significant changes in species composition and abundance, but the extent to which such changes have altered competition over resources is not well understood. Australia’s cities are relatively recent, many of them located in coastal and biodiversity-rich areas, where conservation efforts have the opportunity to benefit many species. Australia hosts a very large diversity of cavity-nesting species, across multiple families of birds and mammals. Of particular interest are cavity-breeding species that have been significantly impacted by the loss of available nesting resources in large, old, hollow- bearing trees. Cavity-breeding species have also been impacted by the addition of cavity- breeding invasive species, increasing the competition for the remaining nesting sites. The results of this additional competition have not been quantified in most cavity breeding communities in Australia. Our understanding of the importance of inter-specific interactions in shaping the outcomes of urbanization and invasion remains very limited across Australian communities. This has led to significant gaps in the understanding of the drivers of inter- specific interactions and how such interactions shape resource use in highly modified environments.
    [Show full text]
  • Helminth Parasite Communities in Four Species of Shorebirds (Charadriidae) on King Island, Tasmania
    Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, Volume 132, 1998 49 HELMINTH PARASITE COMMUNITIES IN FOUR SPECIES OF SHOREBIRDS (CHARADRIIDAE) ON KING ISLAND, TASMANIA by Albert G. Canaris and John M. Kinsella (with six tables and three text-figures) CANARIS, A.G. & KINSELLA, J.M., 1998 (31 :xii): Helminth parasite communities in four species of shorebirds (Charadriidae) on King Island, Tasmania. Pap. Proc. R. Soc. Tasm., 132: 49-57. https://doi.org/10.26749/rstpp.132.49 ISSN 0080-4703. PO Box 717, Hamilton, Montana, USA 59840 (formerly Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso) (AGC); and Department of lnfectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA 32611 QMK). Helminth community composition and structure were examined among two resident shorebird species, red-capped plover, Charadrius ruficapillus (N = 20), and masked lapwing, Vanellusmiles (N = 5), and two migrants, ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres (N = 20), and curlew sandpiper, Calidrisfe rruginea (N = 5), on King Island, Tasmania in March-April 1993, prior to northward migration to the nesting grounds. The total number of species of helminths recovered was 28 and life cycles of at least 19 of these were occurring on the island. Twenty-fivespecies were categorised as generalists and three were undetermined. One to three species of helminths were dominant in each host species. Eight species, to various degrees, were common among the four species of host. Most sharing occurred in the mucosa! trematode guild. Similarities between resident Charadrius ruficapillus and migrant A. interpres was 32.7%, while the mean number of species and mean number of helminths were significantlyhigher in A.
    [Show full text]