Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
With beautiful green and purple iridescent plumage and distinctive crest, the Lapwing can be seen on open farmland, mudflats and meadows. Large flocks of immigrant birds can be seen in Norfolk in the autumn and winter.
Conservation status in Norfolk
The Lapwing has suffered serious decline as a breeding species across the UK and is now on the Amber List. In Norfolk it is now largely confined to managed nature reserves where it enjoys good success. Very few now nest on farmland and this is believed to be due to the change to autumn sowing of crops, which results in crops being too tall for the Lapwings to nest in come spring. Drainage of wetlands and a reduction in uncultivated grassland due to more intensive hill farming has also contributed to the overall decline.
How to help
to be added
Maurice Funnell Cley May 2008
Bob Carpenter
Maurice Funnell Cley 2007
Information on the Lapwing
How to recognise
The Lapwing is a medium sized wader, about 30cm long, and is also known in Norfolk as the Peewit or Green Plover. On first impression lapwings look black and white but closer inspection will show the most beautiful green and purple iridescent plumage covering the back. The crown is black and the bird has a broad black breast-band. The under parts and cheeks are white with chestnut coloured under-tail coverts. Adult birds have a long crest. In winter the plumage fades somewhat, but the general pattern is maintained although the back feathers have buff edges giving them a scaly appearance. Lapwings have a very distinctive and mournful call of ‘pee-wit’ which gives the bird its country name.
Where to see
The Lapwing is a bird of open country and can be encountered on farmland, mudflats, marshes and wet meadows where it searches for its prey items of invertebrates, such as earthworms, beetles, flies and caterpillars that are on or close to the surface.
Breeding numbers are much less numerous than in the past but in Norfolk large flocks of immigrant birds gather during the autumn and winter at such places as Breydon Water near Great Yarmouth. The NWT reserve at Cley Marshes, the RSPB reserves at Buckenham and Berney Marshes and the coastal marshes near Holkham are also good places to encounter lapwings both during the breeding season and during winter.
When to see
UK Lapwings are mostly resident, but some move westwards to Ireland and others fly south to France and Spain especially with the onset of any harsh weather. The winter population is increased to about 2 million birds by migrants from the continent.
Autumn and winter are now the best times to see lapwings in Norfolk when post-breeding parties gather on farmland and other open areas. Large winter flocks can be encountered at the sites mentioned above with some spectacular numbers at Breydon Water.
Did you know?
In the 18th and 19th centuries lapwings were so numerous that their eggs were collected from Norfolk marshland in their thousands and transported to London markets where they sold as delicacies for three shillings a dozen.
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