Northern lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Anna Golubeva · Sergiev Posad district
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 28–33 cm, wingspan 67–87 cm; 128–330 g
- Diet
- Insects, earthworms, snails, spiders
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird, migrant and winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Shida Kartli; Kakheti
- Habitat
- Wet meadows, lake shores, fields
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Conservation
- Global NT (2025); Georgia NT (2024)
The northern lapwing has a long, thin crest swept back from the crown, and its back glints green in the sun. It is 28–33 cm long, with a wingspan of 67–87 cm and a weight of 128–330 g. Its wings are broad and rounded, and its legs are the shortest of all lapwings. It is white below with a black breast. It is harmless to people. If you see a crested black-and-white bird on a wet meadow or a lake shore and hear a loud "pee-wit" call, it is most likely a northern lapwing. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird, a migrant and a winter visitor. In Georgia it is seen almost all year round, most often in April and May. Most records come from Kumisi Lake and Nadarbazevi Lake. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Near Threatened (NT): its numbers are falling.
Identification
Northern lapwing: how to identify it
It is dark with a green gloss above and white below, with a broad black band across the breast. The key feature is the long crest swept back from the crown. In flight it beats its broad, rounded wings slowly and in an uneven, flapping way, looking black above and black and white below.
The male has a long crest, a black crown, throat and breast, and a white face. Females and young birds have shorter crests and less distinct head markings, but their plumage is otherwise very like the male's.
It is 28–33 cm long, with a wingspan of 67–87 cm and a weight of 128–330 g. The wings are broad and rounded at the tip, which sets it apart from other plovers even in flight. Its legs are the shortest of all lapwings.
It is noisy in the breeding season. The male performs a wild, tumbling display flight while calling constantly. The usual call is a loud, shrill "pee-wit", and it also makes squeaking or mewing sounds.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
It breeds on wet natural grasslands and hay meadows with short grass and patches of bare soil, mostly below 1000 m. It also breeds in boggy places and on arable fields. In winter it feeds on large open pastures, damp grassland, stubble and ploughed fields, river banks and lake shores, marshes and estuaries. Across its whole range it occurs up to 2200 m. In Georgia most records come from Kvemo Kartli, at Kumisi Lake: from February to December, in almost every season. Nearby there are records from Gardabani Municipality, Rustavi and Tsalka Municipality. In Shida Kartli it has been seen mainly at Nadarbazevi Lake, from February to October, and in June also in Kareli Municipality. In Kakheti it is seen in Sagarejo Municipality in May and June, and it was seen in Sighnaghi Municipality in November. There are single records in Javakheti, in Akhalkalaki Municipality and at Bughdasheni Lake, near Batumi and in the Chorokhi delta, and in Tbilisi.
The northern lapwing map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Three regions have enough records: Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli and Kakheti.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It feeds mainly on insects and other small invertebrates. It eats beetles, ants, flies, crickets and grasshoppers, dragonflies, mayflies, moths and butterflies and their larvae, as well as spiders, snails and earthworms, and sometimes frogs. It taps the ground with one foot to bring worms to the surface. On moonlit nights it also feeds after dark. It often feeds with black-headed gulls: the gulls sometimes steal its food, but they also give some protection against predators.
It is migratory over most of its range, though some birds on the lowlands of western Europe stay put. It migrates mainly by day, often in large flocks. It winters from western Europe and North Africa through the Middle East to northern India, south-east China and southern Japan. In winter it gathers in large flocks on open fields and mudflats. In Georgia there are records from every month except January. It breeds from April to July in single pairs, though in good places pairs may nest close together. The nest is a shallow scrape in the ground in short grass. The female lays 3–4 eggs. The parents defend the nest and the chicks fiercely against every intruder, even horses and cattle, and chase marsh harriers in the air.
Globally the northern lapwing is rated Near Threatened (NT, 2025; criteria A2bce+3bce+4bce). A 2021 estimate puts the number of mature birds at 4,300,000–7,000,000, and it is falling: by 20–29% worldwide over three generations, about 18 years. In Europe the decline exceeds 30%, especially in the west, and there the species is rated Vulnerable (VU, 2021). The main threats are the loss and degradation of breeding grounds through agricultural intensification, the drainage of wetlands, predation of nests and chicks, and the destruction of nests during spring cultivation. It is hunted in some countries, and botulism and avian influenza are threats as well. In neighbouring Armenia its numbers and breeding sites have also fallen. The species is listed in Appendix II of the Bonn Convention and Appendix III of the Bern Convention. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Near Threatened (NT) in Georgia.
Related guides
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird, a migrant and a winter visitor. There are records from every month except January, most of them in April and May.
Most records come from Kumisi Lake in Kvemo Kartli, followed by Nadarbazevi Lake in Shida Kartli. In Kakheti it is seen in Sagarejo Municipality. Look for it on lake shores and wet meadows.
By the long crest swept back from the crown. It is dark with a green gloss above, white below, with a black breast. It flies slowly on broad, rounded wings and calls a loud "pee-wit".
It is 28–33 cm long, with a wingspan of 67–87 cm and a weight of 128–330 g. Its wings are broad and rounded, and its legs are shorter than those of other lapwings.
Mainly insects and their larvae, as well as earthworms, snails and spiders. It taps the ground with its foot to bring worms up. On moonlit nights it also feeds after dark.
It breeds from April to July on wet meadows and fields with short grass. The nest is a scrape in the ground, where the female lays 3–4 eggs. The parents defend the nest against every intruder, even horses and cattle.
It is harmless to people. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Near Threatened (NT), because its numbers are falling. The main causes are the loss of meadows and wetlands, intensive farming and predation of nests. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
