The Masked lapwing (Vanellus miles ) is a large, common, and conspicuous bird. It spends most of its time on the ground and has several distinctive calls. It is common in Australian fields and open land, and is known for its defensive swooping behavior during the nesting season. The species is also known as the Masked plover and often called the Spur-winged plover or just plover in its native range.
The Masked lapwing is the largest representative of the family Charadriidae. It has a conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of each wing. The subspecies from northern Australia and New Guinea (V. m. miles ) have an all-white neck and large yellow wattles with the male having a distinctive mask and larger wattles. The subspecies found in the southern and eastern states of Australia and in New Zealand (V. m. novaehollandiae ), and often locally called the Spur-winged plover, has a black neck-stripe and smaller wattles. (Note that the northern hemisphere Spur-winged plover is a different bird.)
Masked lapwings are native to the northern and eastern parts of Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea. These birds don’t migrate and prefer to live on the edges of wetlands, and in other moist, open environments. However, they are adaptable and can often be found in surprisingly arid areas, pasturelands, and urban areas.
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