Plover with lumps underneath her

This afternoon, when driving back to Robbo from Bowral I spotted a "Spur-winged Plover" ( I give away my age when I use that name) sitting on the ground, close to the road. It was obvious from the lumps under her breast feathers that she was sheltering some freshly hatched chicks underneath her body. It was a "Masked Lapwing" to give it the modern "correct name". Its scientific name is Vanellus miles.

My brother Brendan, who was driving, agreed to turn around and drive back for a closer look. This is what we saw.
The white breast feathers spread out like that, to cover some apparent "lumps" indicate she is shielding several chicks from the storm which was just easing. Note the beads of rain on her back. (Click to enlarge image to see the raindrops on her back, and see also the details of her facial mask).

The male was nearby, watching us nervously (as is usual).
Mum eventually realised that she had to order the chicks out
for, if I were to get out of the car (which I would not do, of course)
the chicks would have to run for safety.
So, either by body language, or more likely a quiet special alarm call
she signalled to the chicks that they must run - to a safer place.
Sorry for the blurred image,
but they were quick and the light was dull (so I had a slow speed setting).

But the image tells a story.
One, two, three - lets go.
Three little chicks made a run for it.

But wait on - somethings wrong!
She is still not moving herself.
There must still be one, asleep or still hiding underneath her.
Here it is - it went out the back way.
Note the spur on the wing of the mother.
That's why they got their "old name".

The breast feathers are still pushed forward
where the chicks had been hiding.

Here is Mum now making her way to a safer distance.
She has two chicks with her.
Here is Dad, already well away from the road,
with the other two chicks.
My Favourite shot.
One of the chicks - showing the beginnings of its mask skin.
They are such cuties, I love them.

I would estimate these chicks as being only 3 or 4 days old.
As with most ground-nesting birds
they can run and feed themselves as soon as their downy feathers
have dried out (from the egg).
That characteristic is called "precocial" (as in precocious).

Unlike birds which nest high off the ground (in a proper "nest")
these birds have a long incubation period, so that the
chicks are highly developed in the egg, before they break free.
The same is true of familiar domesticated birds -
"Chooks" (or Indian Game Fowl) (chickens) and ducklings.

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.