Kell's Plovers (Lapwings)

I confess to being an unreconstructed birdwatcher from the 1960s, when it comes to this bird. To me it will always be a "Spur-winged Plover" (Vanellus miles).



These wonderful photos were sent to me by an email colleague of mine in SE Queensland. His name is Kell, and he took these photos near the Hinze Dam (at Gilston).

Since the 1960s, this bird has had two name changes. Firstly it was merged with its northern cousin the Masked Plover. Then both got re-named to join their Northern Hemisphere cousins, the Lapwings. So it is now the "Masked Lapwing".

Nest on the ground with four eggs.

Egg in Kell's hand.
Most ground-nesting birds have large eggs.
"Domestic Chickens" employ this same system.
This is to allow the chick to hatch at a precocious stage of development.
These chicks are fully feathered and ready to run, within hours of hatching.
By contrast, most perching birds are naked and defenceless when they hatch.

I like to think that names ought be given to birds according to their most distinctive characteristics, rather than following "priority" or "precedence" - the use of the "first accurate name".

In this case, I like the idea of naming the bird according to that feature which most clearly distinguishes this bird from others. Sure it does have a "mask" - but so do many other birds, such as Muscovy Ducks, and Swamp Hens.
But this bird has evolved in such a way that the tiny bones which all birds have in their wings which are equivalent to our "thumbs" have developed as spurs which protrude prominently through their feathers, to become attack weapons. And that is a unique attribute. And the birds behaviour is distinctive, because of this feature.

Anyone who has ever seen these birds nesting, and tried to approach them (and we all did, as school children on parks and ovals, surely?) will recall that these birds use their spurs to terrify intruders. Many birds will attack intruders. Magpies and Currawongs do that, but they use their beaks. Falcons will dive bomb you, but with their talons out to strike you. These Plovers attack intruders, with their wings held in such away as to try and strike with the spurs.

Wings held open, revealing the prominent spurs.

Of course, it is a defence strategy - to protect the eggs and chicks. It is not a random act of violence - far from it.

Click on image to enlarge it.

Chicks beaks labelled A, B, and C for ease of sorting out where they are. D is an opened egg - which one of these chicks had just crawled out of. E is an egg as yet unopened.

Kell told me that these birds know him well. He said:
"They have been nesting here for about four years. When I drive by them in a small tractor they stay put. ( 3 foot away ) But if I approach them on foot, they get a bit agro but don’t attack me."

Chick at about 10 minutes after hatching.

Kell continues: "They lay one egg each day for four days. But when they hatch they all hatch in 8 hours. And by 3 pm that day they are gone. I do see them through the next 2 weeks -
but never in the same spot on 28 acres."

Note the Mask is already present - in developmental stage.
The Egg Tooth is clearly visible on the tip of the beak.
Young birds use this calcareous tip to break through the egg - from the inside.
The Egg Tooth drops off the beak, after a few weeks.

Lovely photos Kell. Thank you very much for sharing them.