Order) Charadriiformes
Family) Charadriidae
Species) Native Bird
Conservation Status) Not Threatened
Length) 38 cm
Weight) 350 – 370 g
Other Names) masked lapwing, masked plover, spur-wing, spurwinged plover, spur winged plover
Threats) cats, rats, and stoats, habitat loss and human disturbance.
Identification
The Spur-winged plover is a large stocky wader with a yellow bill and spurs on each wing, locations found on Waiheke are Blackpool, Maori hill and Whakanewha.
The spur-winged plover is a large stocky wader with pronounced yellow bill and wattles, and yellow eye ring. Black on the crown and hind neck becomes a black collar extending to sides of the breast. The rest of the head, neck and under parts are white, the mantle, back and coverts are uniform light grey-brown contrasting with a white rump. The black tail has a white base and thin white tip. The long legs are reddish brown. A long yellow spur protruding from the carpal area of each wing gives the species its name. The flight pattern of the spur-winged plover – shallow beats of broad rounded wings – is unlike any other New Zealand wader.
Their call is a shrill staccato rattle – often heard at night.
They may be found in almost any area with low vegetation, often near water: from the margins of marine and terrestrial wetlands, riverbeds and lake shores to estuaries and beaches, to farm pastures and almost any grassland in urban areas, playing fields, parks or even road verges.
Breeding
Spur-winged plovers breed as isolated pairs, and are monogamous with shared incubation and chick care.
They nest in a wide range of open habitats such as wetland edges and saltmarsh, but most commonly occur in areas associated with human activities, including pasture and cropland, urban parks and golf courses and even the roofs of buildings.
Most nests are a simple scrape that may be lined with various nearby materials –including dried grass or twigs, small pebbles and sheep droppings.
The 3-4 eggs are olive-yellow, -brown or -green with irregular dark brown or purple spots and blotches.
Laying is usually June to November.
Incubation takes 30-34 days, with precocial chicks leaving the nest almost immediately after hatching, fledging at 6-7 weeks and independent after 8-9 months.
Food
Molluscs, crustaceans, insects, and worms.
Waiheke Locations
Blackpool – I have spotted them associating with other birds
Whakanewha – I’ve spotted them in the dotterels nesting zone with other birds
Maori hill – I have spotted them on the grass field of the reserve opposite the dirt track.
Spur-Winged Plover are flying birds so they can really be anywhere on Waiheke but not just Waiheke they are all over New Zealand, these are just areas I’ve spotted them and photographed.
Gallery
