>> GENERAL >>>>>
– medium-sized wader, slightly larger than European Golden Plover
– Central Asian origin, very rare vagrant to WP
– diurnal/nocturnal migrant
– migrates singly or in small, rather dense flocks
>> VISUAL ID >>>>>
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3603, 02/06/2018, Baliqcilar, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
– brownish grey mantle, neck and crown, slightly contrasting grey face
– slender and pointed black bill, a tad longer than in Sociable Lapwing
– very long yellow legs, a large part of the tarsus protrudes the tail -> Grey-headed Lapwing
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3603, 01/03/2010, Bilesuvar, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
– pure white tail
– white band separates black hand and bronwnish grey mantle -> missing in Sociable Lapwing
– uniform brownish grey mantle, while JUV/1CY show pale fringes
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3605, 02/06/2018, Baliqcilar, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
– plain grey brown throat and upper breast, narrow black breast band sharply contrasting to white belly
– lacks the black eye stripe of Sociable Lapwing
– dark eyes in AD and 1CY
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3606, 01/03/2010, Bilesuvar, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
– blacks primaries, white secondaries, outer secondaries with black tips
– narrow black line on inner arm separates brown mantle from white secondaries
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3607, 01/06/2018, Salyan, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
– white band on the wing reaches the leading edge (cf. Sociable Lapwing)
Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3608, 01/06/2018, Salyan, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, AD
BIF3607, 01/06/2018, Salyan, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
– even at great distance, tri-coloured upperwings, pure white underwings and long legs are good pointers
>> ACOUSTIC ID >>>>>
– in flight usually a distinctive broadband, nasal piping call
– all three parts (overslur/upslur/overslur) broadly modulated
– many inharmonic partials
– overview –
– detail –
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, call in flight
BIF3601, 12/04/2011, Komsomolskoe, Kazakhstan, Patrick Franke
– overview –
– detail –
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, call in flight
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus, call in flight
Black-crowned Nightheron Nycticorax nycticorax, call in flight
Common Quail Coturnix coturnix, calls
BIF3602, 13/08/2021, Randwotal, Germany, Steve Klasan
– overview –
– detail –
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, call during migration
BIF2550, 29/05/2012, Besh Barmag, Azerbaijan, Michael Heiß
>> COMPARISON SPECIES >>>>>
Spur-winged Lapwing (v)
Grey-headed Lapwing (v)
Sociable Lapwing (v)
Northern Lapwing (v)
Sabine’s Gull (v)
#shorebird #wader
#ornithology #birdmigration #birdID #birdguide #birding #birdwatching #birdsound #westernpalearctic #europe #vismig #flightcalls #middleeast #northernafrica #workinprogress