
A large, distinctive, crested plover with broad, rounded wings and an unmistakable, undulating flight style; casual to northern Atlantic Coast. Head mainly white, with a black crown and wispy black crest (longer in males), an irregular black mark around eye and cheek, and black chin and throat. Basic Adults have white throat and pale-tipped wing feathers. Upperparts glossy green, with metallic purple and blue sheen on scapulars and coverts. Primaries are black. Underparts white, except for black breastband and buffy-orange undertail coverts. The tail is white with a black terminal band.
Length: 32 (cm) Wingspan: 84 (cm)
Habitat:
Mudflats, estuaries, fields, grazed grasslands.
Behavior:
Like other plovers, walks along ground in open areas. In core wintering range, forms flocks of several thousand birds. Nest is a shallow scrape among short grasses.
Feeding:
Forages on ground, among grasses and bare earth. Eats insects, worms, ants, small frogs, spiders, and some plants.
Field Notes

When Connecticut's first Northern Lapwing showed up inland at Storrs, Tolland County on 27-28 November 2010, we all scrambled to deduce its age and sex. This bird had a very long crest, a whiter wing tip with less delineation to each feather with black , and very pronounced buffy scaling on is back. We concluded that this bird is an adult male by this suite of characters. Photos are in the Birdfellow Community photo gallery, above.
Citation: Personal Experience. I observe this regularly, highly confident.
Expanded Life History
Feed Ecology And Diet | Contribute Content |
Nesting Habits | Contribute Content |
Migration Status | Contribute Content |
Conservation Status | Contribute Content |
Local Sites to Spot | Contribute Content |
Abundance Status | Contribute Content |
Adult Male Description | Contribute Content |
Adult Female Description | Contribute Content |
ITIS Taxonomic Number | Contribute Content |
Sonogram | Contribute Content |
Courtship | Contribute Content |
Reproductive Characteristics | Contribute Content |
Relationship to Humans | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Size & Shape | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Color & Pattern | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Habitat | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Behavior | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Wingspan | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Weight | Contribute Content |
Breeding | Contribute Content |
Cool Facts | Contribute Content |
Local Knowledge | Contribute Content |
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Sightings
Date | Submitted By | Count |
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Recent Activity
Activity | Date & Time |
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Mark S. Szantyr added a note to Northern Lapwing Notes | 11/29/2010 at 8:58PM |