Our Grower's Farms

Frank & Dianne Sciacca's Farm - Innisfail

Masked Lapwing guarding eggs - photographed on Frank & Dianne Sciacca's farm.

The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) - previously known as the Masked Plover and often called the Spur-winged Plover.

Masked Lapwings are shy and harmless in summer and autumn but are best known for their bold nesting habits, being quite prepared to make a nest on almost any stretch of open ground, including suburban parks and gardens, school ovals, and even supermarket carparks and flat rooftops. Breeding usually happens after Winter Solstice (June 21), but sometimes before.

The nesting pair defends their territory against all intruders by calling loudly, spreading their wings, and then swooping fast and low, and where necessary striking at interlopers with their feet and attacking animals on the ground with a conspicuous yellow spur on the carpal joint of the wing. They will also use tactics of fiercely protecting a non-existing nest to distract danger away from the real nest. The birds also use distraction display of hopping on a single leg while rearing chicks perhaps to attract attention from the predators to itself rather than the chicks.

There seem to be some significant use of language to guide chicks during a perceived dangerous situation. Long calls seem to tell the chicks to come closer to the calling bird; single chirp every few seconds to ask them to move away.

There is a much-believed but incorrect myth that the spur can inject venom. The myth may have been based on fear of the Masked Lapwing's territorial behavior. Attacks are most vicious on other birds such as ravens, and also on cats and dogs, but once the chicks reach 60% of full size after 2-3 months, the chances of this happening decrease. Strikes are much more rare on humans since they are more aware. Sometimes the bird can damage its wing in a strike but usually survives and is flightless as the wing heals.

Some Masked Lapwings, especially some that live in residential suburban areas, never breed due to increased dangers such as people on footpaths and cars. Nearly always two birds are seen together, a male and a female which are almost identical. Many also can be seen in groups at times, especially during feeding on coastlines. The chick reaches full growth after 4 to 5 months and will often stay with the parents for 1 to 2 years resulting in groups of 3 to 5 birds over the summer.