The bird police

The spur-winged lapwing is a bird you’ll want to stay near if you are a prey animal threatened by predators.

By ITSIK MAROM
Spur-winged lapwing, (photo credit: ITSIK MAROM)
Spur-winged lapwing,
(photo credit: ITSIK MAROM)
Black, white and brown are the colors of the spur-winged lapwing, whose stark, contrasting shades easily resemble a uniform.
The spur-winged lapwing is a bird you’ll want to stay near if you are a prey animal threatened by predators. That’s because this bird is the local guard of its habitat, and it is constantly curious and suspicious. Whenever a predator, such as a fox, mongoose or even a human, approaches, the spur-winged lapwing takes off, using its call to sound the alarm and alert everyone within seconds.
During late spring, the lapwing starts its family by first choosing a partner. With a little effort, the female constructs a simple pit in the gravel to ensure that passersby do not notice there is a nest there. After laying three to five camouflaged eggs, the male and the female – who look the same – share responsibility for incubating the eggs.
They lie motionless on the ground, their colors helping them to blend into the surroundings. From afar, their contrasting black-and-white coloring looks like light and shadow, and the brown resembles the color of the soil on which they are nesting. This effect distorts the nesting birds’ shape.
If lapwings sense danger may be close, they leave the nest immediately and rely on the camouflaged nest and eggs to remain unseen. When the danger has passed, they return to the nest as soon as they can, since the eggs are directly exposed to the hot sun.
The couple will vehemently protect the nest and their chicks. They are brave, and the size of the invader does not impress these loud birds.
The chicks start walking and exploring very early, and they themselves are camouflaged and instinctively know to lie frozen on the ground when danger is present. In any event, much of the area’s wildlife wants the chicks to survive, because they are the future “police force” that will efficiently guard the locals.