WildCare Articles

The Lapwing – Vanellus vanellus

The lapwing is colloquially known as the 'peewit', after its display call. It is distinctive in appearance and unique among British birds in having a long and wispy black crest (although this is much reduced in juveniles during their first autumn). From a distance the lapwing appears black and white but a closer inspection reveals it to be dark green above - hence its other 'official' name of green plover.

The lapwing is a well-known farmland bird and if present on your farm you will almost certainly know about it. The springtime display flight of the male lapwing can be spectacular: rising into the air and diving towards the ground apparently out of control before pulling up again.

Statistics

The lapwing is a little smaller than a Jackdaw in size and weighs in at around 250g. Although there are differences in the plumage of the sexes, these are not easy to discern from a distance: males being brighter in colour and having a more prominent crest.

The oldest known lapwing lived for 20 years but 5 years or less is more typical in the wild.

Diet

Lapwings eat worms and insects, including species that are harmful to crops. They are therefore good news for farmers.

Habitat

During the spring breeding season resident lapwings may be found across the UK but populations are strongest in lowland areas of northern England, the Borders and eastern Scotland. At this time of year they prefer spring-sown cereals, root crops, permanent unimproved pasture, meadows and fallow/set aside fields. They will also breed in wetlands with short vegetation. More than many other birds, the lapwing is a true 'farmland species'.

In winter, migrant birds from Northern Europe join our resident population and flock on pasture and ploughed fields. The largest winter flocks are seen on the Somerset Levels, Humber and Ribble estuaries, the Wash and Morecombe Bay.

Breeding

The winter flocks of lapwings begin to break up in February, when birds return to their breeding grounds. Male birds are quite obvious as they display and call over potential nesting sites in an attempt to attract a mate. A number of birds may nest in the same area with individual territories of 0.4-0.8 hectare. Territories are only held until the chicks leave the nest and the young will walk and feed within hours of hatching.

The nest is a simple scrape on the ground, lined with a little plant material. The parent birds need a clear all-round view to spot predators so the nest is often on bare ground or in short vegetation. The excellent camouflage of both eggs and chicks is the main defence against predation but can also lead to unintentional destruction by farming activity.

Eggs are laid from March to early June, hatching 3-4 weeks later. The young can feed themselves on small invertebrates within hours of hatching and fly within 5-6 weeks.

Lapwings only raise one brood in a year but have an ability to produce up to four replacement clutches if eggs are lost.

Natural Predators

As the lapwing is a ground-nesting bird, foxes, stoats and even hedgehogs are among the predators that may take eggs. Young may fall prey to gulls and birds of prey, as well as foxes, etc. Adults may be taken by peregrine falcons but should avoid most other predators.

As the young must move from the nest site to a feeding area within a few hours of hatching, they may encounter many perils along the way. Greatest losses therefore occur at an early age and as few as 40% of young survive to fledging. Weather is a serious threat to the young and cold or wet weather increases mortality considerably.

Status

The lapwing is fully protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. It is an offence to kill, injure or take birds, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest. The only exception to this is where legitimate farming practice cannot be reasonably delayed.

Lapwing numbers have been under pressure in Britain since the middle of the 19th century. Initially it was the large-scale collection of eggs for food that led to a fall in numbers but the Lapwing Act of 1926 stopped this. A significant recovery in numbers followed but changes in farming practices have seen a further decline since the 1940s. Large areas of land were drained; much grassland was given over to arable crops and insect food declined due to spraying.

Further declines have occurred since the 1980s, as crop rotation patterns have changed and more winter-sown crops are being grown instead of spring-sown varieties. Because lapwings require good visibility around the nest site, many crops are too tall by springtime and therefore unsuitable for nesting.

In England and Wales lapwing numbers have dropped by 80% since the 1960s, with nearly 50% of this fall occurring between 1987 and 1998. Numbers continue to decline in all but the most favourable areas. Despite these adversities, the numbers of lapwings are still sufficient to allow a good recovery if given the opportunity. The resident UK breeding population is estimated at 156,000 pairs; the winter population may be as high as 2 million birds.

Lapwings do best on mixed farms, where open nesting sites and suitable feeding areas for the young can be found side-by-side. As farms trend towards arable in the east and pastureland in the west, favourable habitat is becoming scarce. Dairy farms do however have the potential to provide safe havens for these delightful birds.

How Farmers Can Help the Lapwing

Be aware of lapwings on your farm. Their presence in springtime may well mean there are nests in the area and, as these are on the ground, identifying their location will avoid inadvertent damage
Lapwings require a clear view of any approaching predators around nesting sites so nests are located on virtually bare ground or areas of short vegetation. Consequently the hedges and tall grasses that attract so many other bird, mammal and insect species will not be attractive nesting sites for lapwings
A mosaic of spring-sown crops and pastureland provides the correct mix of habitats for lapwings to both nest and raise young. Where possible, this farming regime is the ideal
With the demise of most set-aside, summer fallow fields provide good alternative nesting habitat but such fields must be large enough to provide suitable areas well away from hedgerows and surrounding trees. Richard Green has attracted breeding lapwings onto 10 hectares of arable land through preparing summer fallow by March 15th, when birds are seeking nesting sites. This land is then not sprayed or cultivated until July 15th when young have left the nesting area
Cattle can trample nests made in grassland, so stocking densities should be carefully controlled in pastures where lapwings breed
Maintaining damp areas on unimproved grassland is very favourable to breeding success. Therefore maintaining marginal wet grassland areas where lapwings can breed undisturbed is another possibility for dairy farmers
When making silage or working fields, be aware of any nest sites and if possible avoid these.
Parent birds will make a lot of noise in their attempts to distract you from nest sites or young so some detective work may be needed to locate them - please be careful where you put your feet when looking for nests or young birds!
When working fields where lapwings nest cannot be avoided during the breeding season, try to get all the work done in as short a period as possible to allow any failed pairs to re-nest safely

The WildCare assessors have thus far recorded lapwings on 28 of the Waitrose Select Farm dairy pool farms; of these, 12 have lapwings present during the breeding season. With your help it would be great to see an increase in both the number of farms with lapwings and the populations on each farm where they breed.

01/06/2008