The White-tailed Lapwing or White-tailed Plover (Vanellus leucurus) is a wader in the lapwing genus.

Taxonomy:

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Charadriidae

Genus: Vanellus

Species: V. leucurus

Binomial name Vanellus leucurus (Lichtenstein, 1823)

Distribution:

It breeds semi-colonially on inland marshes in Iraq, Iran and southern Russia. Four eggs are laid in a ground nest. The Iraqi and Iranian breeders are mainly residents, but Russian birds migrate south in winter to south Asia, the Middle East and north east Africa. It is a very rare vagrant in western Europe. Sedentary in much of Middle East, partly migratory in C Asia. Departs from breeding grounds in C Asia Jul-Sep. Present in Iran Apr-Aug, and in Sudan Sep-Mar. Migratory flocks small, of 2-6 birds, but possibly augmented during passage, flocks in spring generally slightly larger, up to hundred. Rare migrant and occasional wintering in Egypt, Israel and Arabia.

Physical Characteristics:

25-30 cm, 100-200 g, wingspan 70 cm. Graceful, slim, long-legged lapwing, with pale, whitish face and all white tail. Pinkish brown rest of head and back, grey breast, rosy-buff belly. Sexes alike. No seasonal variation. Juvenile has feathers of upperparts with dark centres and bright buff fringes. Neck and breast mottled brown-grey. Adults are slim erect birds with a brown back and foreneck, paler face and grey breast. Its long yellow legs, pure white tail and distinctive brown, white and black wings make this species unmistakable. Young birds have a scaly back, and may show some brown in the tail.

Habitat:

Lake shores and river valleys. Nearly always in vicinity of shallow standing or slow flowing water with suitable bed for wading. Also flooded or recently dried out marshy meadows and salt-shrub terrain. Breeds in damp, vegetated areas near salt or fresh water, also small vegetated islets and swampy shores of brackish lakes.

Diet:

Mainly insects, especially beetles and grasshoppers, but also caterpillars and fly larvae, also takes worms, molluscs and crustaceans, including freshwater shrimps.

Usually feeds on dry land, but also by foot-dabbling in shallow water, and sometimes catches prey by probing in soft mud. Diurnal.

Breeding:

Apr-May. Monogamous. Often in loose colonies, sometimes of several hundred pairs, frequently together with other colonial breeders, opten pratincoles, Black-winged Stilts and terns. Occasionally solitary. Nest is shallow scrape with sparse lining of plant material, in the open, usually near water. Clutch 4 eggs, incubation 21-25 days. Chick has upperparts greyish buff with black streaks, rusty-red ring around eye, underparts buffy white. Tended by both parents. First breeding 1-2 years.