The Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis)
This elegant bird greatly appreciates wet meadows and floodplains where it can practice “foot-trembling”, its favorite method for catching invertebrates. Cleverly, it advances one leg to plant it in the soft ground and make it tremble. Its small prey, surely a little panicked by this mini earthquake, come out to see what’s happening… and crunch!
There is no shortage of wet meadows and alluvial lands in Central and South America, and since it is far from being endangered, it can be easily observed. Especially during nesting season, from April to June here in Panama. Often in pairs or small groups, it enlivens the surroundings with its noisy and very recognizable “keek keek keek” calls intended to ward off competitors or other species. I don’t know if one can generalize, but I sometimes hear them make this cry in the middle of the night, flying over our house. It’s a sign that tomorrow morning, we’ll be able to observe them in the meadow of the old parade ground of the ruins of Fort San Jerónimo de Portobelo.
Even their fine crest does not allow differentiating the male from the female. For a few battles or intimidation sessions with its congeners or annoying individuals of other species, red spurs protrude from its wings. Monogamous, during mating season it also shows them for its display and to ward off other suitors.
The pair will dig their shallow nest on a less humid surface near marshy areas, scratching the ground to create a small hollow lined with dry grass. The incubation of three or four eggs lasts about a month.
Some lapwing species are known to be fierce defenders of their nests. This is one of them. I had the opportunity, in Botswana, to be the target of an attack by 5 or 6 White-crowned Lapwings (Vanellus albiceps) who forced me to move away from the meadow in the middle of which they surely had nests. In dive flights, they swooped down on me with shrill cries. Sorry to have disturbed them, I quickly moved away and everything immediately became calm again.
The Southern Lapwing is one of these perfect protectors. You can see this video, filmed by an Argentine farmer, in which the female heroically defends her eggs during the passage of the tractor and its harvester. It’s impressive !
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=752079228530967
