Attacking plover
During our walk along the coastline, we unintentionally came close to a nesting pair of plovers. They were very threatening and wouldn't let us pass, so we walked a bit further away via the rocks by the sea so that they weren't so upset.
The Spur-winged plover (Vanellus miles) is so named because it has a sharp, yellow, black-tipped spur on each wing. It is also known as the Masked lapwing and Masked plover. It is a long-legged wading bird with a black head, white belly and yellow facial wattles. Plovers are found Australia-wide. The Spur-winged plover is found mainly in South and Eastern Australia.
Spur-winged plovers are ground-nesting birds, and they usually have two chicks. These birds used to migrate from Australia to Siberia, where they could nest in peace without any predators around. However, they now breed in Australia, and have to constantly defend their chicks against intruders.
Often they threaten intruders by extending their wings and making a loud screeching cry, and they also try to draw potential predators away from the nest by feigning injury.
Attacking plover
During our walk along the coastline, we unintentionally came close to a nesting pair of plovers. They were very threatening and wouldn't let us pass, so we walked a bit further away via the rocks by the sea so that they weren't so upset.
The Spur-winged plover (Vanellus miles) is so named because it has a sharp, yellow, black-tipped spur on each wing. It is also known as the Masked lapwing and Masked plover. It is a long-legged wading bird with a black head, white belly and yellow facial wattles. Plovers are found Australia-wide. The Spur-winged plover is found mainly in South and Eastern Australia.
Spur-winged plovers are ground-nesting birds, and they usually have two chicks. These birds used to migrate from Australia to Siberia, where they could nest in peace without any predators around. However, they now breed in Australia, and have to constantly defend their chicks against intruders.
Often they threaten intruders by extending their wings and making a loud screeching cry, and they also try to draw potential predators away from the nest by feigning injury.