English              -              Southern Lapwing

Portuguese       -              Quero-quero

Latin                  -              Vanellus chilensis

Southern Lapwings are members of the plover family. They are primarily grey-brown with black and white on the face, breast, under wings and tail. Their beak is red-pink with a black tip and they have a thin black head crest. 

The Southern Lapwing is the only crested wader in South America. There are four subspecies, inhabiting different areas of South America.

The breeding season of the Southern Lapwing is between March and July. A male and female will form a stable bond to defend, incubate and feed the chicks. Defence can be very aggressive with groups of adults mobbing the potential predator. Clutch size of the Southern Lapwing varies from one to four eggs on a nest that sits on the ground. After hatching, it takes around a month for the chicks to fledge. Chicks are usually fed earthworms.

Southern Lapwings are exclusively ground dwelling birds, They will move around their home ranges mostly by walking or by short flights (approximately 10-20 m). Short flights are used for moving between feeding patches. During the nonbreeding season though individuals can fly long distances between different foraging sites.

The diet of the Southern Lapwing is mainly made up of insects, although they will also feed on worms and small fish. They wait for prey items to reveal themselves on the surface of the water or by moving in the under growth. They can be seen engaging in a characteristic plover-like behavior during foraging events, when they stand on one foot and execute trembling movements with the other foot. The trembling behavior seems to enhance their chance by somehow flushing their prey out.

Southern Lapwings are widely distributed and common throughout South America, thus the species is considered  “of Least Concern” . A Study of human activity on populations of the Southern Lapwing have been conducted in the past which supports the notion that this species may benefit from deforestation, as it creates more open habitats that are suitable for this species of bird during both breeding and nonbreeding seasons. 

First photo was taken at Parque Pedra da Cebola, Vitoria, ES 

Second Photo wa taken at Meaipi ES

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