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Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles miles
-17.3345, 123.648
Field Notes
Description:
Large, ground-dwelling bird.
Mainly white below, with brown wings and back and a black crown.
Large yellow wattles cover the face.
Equipped with a thorny spur that projects from the wrist on each wing. The spur is yellow with a black tip.
The Masked Lapwing has two subspecies resident in Australia.
Northern birds are smaller, without the partial black collar, but have a much larger wattle, which covers most of the side of the face.
Southern subspecies has black on the hind neck and sides of breast, and has smaller facial wattles.
The sexes are similar in both subspecies, although the male tends to have a larger spur.
Habitat:
Varied but typically open, short-grassed sites, both natural and modified, often beside water of swamps, lagoons and salt marshes.
Notes:
My first reference for identification: The Michael Morcombe eGuide to Australian Birds, Mobile App.
Second reference: http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/masked-lapwing
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