Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles
Also known as: Masked Plover
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
387 g
About This Species
A common sight on open grassland, wetland margins, sports fields and even suburban parks across Australia and New Zealand, told by its bold yellow facial wattles and loud, repeated alarm calls given at the slightest disturbance. It nests on bare ground in open areas, often surprisingly close to people, and is most conspicuous in spring when pairs aggressively defend chicks — an easy species to watch year-round rather than one tied to a narrow season.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep a clear distance from any nest or chicks, since adults will dive at intruders — including people and pets — as a sign of stress rather than an invitation to interact further, and being struck by a swooping bird is also a real hazard.
- It's protected under general native-wildlife laws in Australia and New Zealand that make it an offence to harm birds or deliberately destroy nests, so if a pair is defending a spot the simplest response is to walk around rather than linger.
LCAvesCharadriiformesCharadriidae
Seasonal Activity
1,278,453 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 387 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.