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Southern Lapwing


Southern Lapwing
Photo Information
Copyright: Claus Hauer (claushauer) (20)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-09-06
Categories: Birds
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/320 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-11-06 20:16
Viewed: 8940
Points: 6
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Spanish]
Southern Lapwin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Charadriidae

Genus: Vanellus

Species: V. chilensis


The Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) is a wader in the family Charadriiformes. It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions (e.g. most of the Amazon), the higher parts of the Andes and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the basin of the River Plate. It has also been spreading through Central America in recent years.

It is the national bird of Uruguay, where it is called tero. Due to its bold and pugnacious nature it has become the namesake and mascot of the Uruguay national rugby union team, Los Teros. In Brazil it is widely known as quero-quero, an onomatopoetic of its its commonly heard voice.

Description
This lapwing is the only crested wader in South America. It is 12-13 in (31-33 cm) in length and weighs 11 oz (300 g). The upperparts are mainly brownish grey, with a bronze glossing on the shoulders. The head is particularly striking; mainly grey with a black forehead and throat patch extending onto the black breast. A white border separates the black of the face from the grey of the head and crest. The rest of the underparts are white, and the eye ring, legs and most of the bill are pink. It is equipped with red bony extensions under the wings (spurs), used to intimidate foes and fight birds of prey.

During its slow flapping flight, the Southern Lapwing shows a broad white wing bar separating the grey-brown of the back and wing coverts from the black flight feathers. The rump is white and the tail black. The call is a very loud and harsh keek-keek-keek.

The sexes are similar in plumage, but young birds are duller, with a shorter crest and browner face and breast.

There are three or four subspecies, differing slightly in head coloration and voice. Vanellus chilensis fretensis from Patagonia is sometimes included in the nominate subspecies V. c. chilensis. The northern subspecies - V. c. cayennensis from north and V. c. lampronotus from south of the Amazon River - are sometimes separated as a distinct species, Vanellus cayennensis. These two subspecies have a browner head - particularly the northernmost birds - and the white face band (broad in the northern and narrow in the southern one) does not reach to the center of the crown. However, birds from the general region of Uruguay apparently intergrade

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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • fthsm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 172 W: 56 N: 512] (3689)
  • [2008-11-07 5:28]

Beautiful bird and great photo but I'd like to learn this birds name.

Well done, Claus.
Colourful bird captured in its habitat.
It's a pity there's no note though.
TFS
Annick

Hello Claus,

Excellent photo of this interesting bird.
Nice colours with good detail.
Fantastic focus and definition.

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