Lapwing by Pat Adams 1/10
Lapwing by Pat Adams 2/10
Lapwing by Maurice Funnell 3/10
Lapwing by Maurice Funnell 4/10
Lapwing in flight by Elizabeth Dack 5/10
Lapwing by Elizabeth Dack 6/10
Lapwing chick by Nick Goodrum 7/10
Lapwing by Brian MacFarlane 8/10
Lapwing by Elizabeth Dack 9/10
Lapwing by Bob Carpenter 10/10

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

The lapwing has suffered serious decline as a breeding species across the UK and is now Classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2015). Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework. Listed as Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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.

 

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Details

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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