Northern Lapwing

The adult Northern Lapwing is easily identified. It is a medium-sized wader with dark green upper parts and white undersides. Most noticeably, it has a black and white head with a long, erect black crest perched at the back of the crown. There is little sexual dimorphism; the male's nuptial crest is longer and has more black on its face, while the female's face is less black with a white throat blotched with black. During the inter-nuptial period, however, distinguishing the two sexes is much harder, as the black feathers on the head have dulled. The adult also features a sharply contrasted black and white breast band and rust-brown under-tail coverts. In winter, the green feathers on the upper parts have a light beige edge, giving the plumage a scaled appearance. The crest is shorter and the head has a tinge of rufous to it. Chicks are covered with cryptic grey-beige down, marked with black, with a white neck and underside. Juveniles resemble adults, but have a less distinct head pattern, shorter crest, duller and more chamois-beige mottled upper parts, and less sharply defined breast band. In flight, the contrast between the dark upper parts and the white underside stands out, particularly when the birds are in groups and perform coordinated aerobatics. From a distance this appears as a group of flashing lights, black when the birds are facing away and white when facing towards. Up close, the upper parts are not entirely dark; with a white base of the tail and white at the wing tip. From underneath, the black and white body, wings and tail are prominent, and the oddly shaped wings, wide and rounded, give the Northern Lapwing a unique silhouette when in flight.