Red-wattled lapwing

One day while taking a stroll on the Shiroda-Redi road in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, I came across some mid-sized birds hiding in the grass near the salt pan area. I quickly tried to zoom-in with my camera for close-up shots. It was interesting to see their calm posture in the grass as if they had just landed and were in a relaxed mood. The black, white and light brown colour combination with a red fleshy wattle in front of eye was looking beautiful. I could click 2-3 pics before they flew away.

I later found out, this beautiful bird is known as Red-wattled lapwing. According to wikipedia, the Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus Indicus) is an Asian lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae. These birds are usually seen in pairs or small groups and not far from the water. They hide by lying low on the ground or in the grass when threatened. Their food is also mostly picked from the ground which includes a range of insects, snails and other invertebrates.

They are spread across West Asia to South Asia and further to Southeast Asia. It was also nice to know that these birds have presence in the entire Indian subcontinent right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. In Maharashtra, I found these birds in the South Konkan region. Most likely to be found near salt pan area on Shiroda-Redi road. Sometimes farms near the salt pan area.

I also came across one more interesting finding about the Red-wattled Lapwing in an article titled “Unsual nesting by Red-wattled Lapwing” written by Mr. V. S. Saxena, Dy. Conservator of Forest in Jaipur. According to Mr. Saxena, In Rajasthan, it is a common belief that if the Titodi (Red-wattled lapwing) lays eggs on a high ground, it would be a good rain year.

The early morning walk on the Shiroda-Redi road introduced me to this new bird, the Red-wattled Lapwing. I was happy to add one more bird in my birds list 🙂

Here are some pics captured by me.

References:
1) Wikipedia – Red-wattled lapwing
2) Unusual nesting by Red-wattled Lapwing by V. S Saxena

Read more on Indian birds
1. Birds of India – Part 1
2. Birds of India – Part 2
3. Birds of India – Part 3
4. Indian Golden Oriole
5. Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker
6. Common tailorbird
7. Green bee-eaters
8. Seagulls
9. Red-vented bulbul
10. Baya Weaver
11. Coppersmith Barbet the official Bird of Mumbai
12. Oriental Magpie Robin
13. Plum and Grey Headed Parakeets
14. Asian Koel
15. Banded Bay Cuckoo
16. White-throated Kingfisher
17. Jungle Myna