How do you recognise a lapwing?

The northern lapwing (Latvian name Ķīvīte, Vanellus vanellus) is a wader with a slender crest, white underparts, and dark upperparts that shine green in good light. In flight, its broad, rounded wings distinguish it. The guide sums it up as a crested wader of wet grasslands and open farmland. Behaviour helps too: in spring, males perform steep climbs, rolls, and dives with far-carrying calls, and outside the breeding season lapwings often gather in flocks on open fields. If you are unsure whether you are looking at one of the guide's other waders, the redshank has orange-red legs and broad white trailing edges to its wings, and the curlew is large with a conspicuously downcurved bill.

Sources

• Lapwings
• A short bird guide
• Redshanks
• Curlews

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