LAPWING
When growing up on the farm in Cornwall, the sight of lapwings always made me smile. They are a stunning sight with their broad rounded wings being black on top and white underneath with a black band close to the tip. The back of the head is white with a black face and crest. They have short bills and short, thin, pink legs. Their backs are dark green, with glossed purple and copper. The lapwing has got many names, peewit (due to their call), tewit, pyewipe, and green plover. They are pigeon sized birds, attaining 330mm in length with a wingspan of 870mm.
Unfortunately, this bird only winters here, and not very often. They are waders and can often be seen on estuaries, but you will also find them feeding on arable land, pastureland and the coast. Their diet consists of insects and small invertebrates. They also feed on earthworms, by tapping the ground with 1 leg until the worms appear, thinking it is raining. We seem to get only a few individuals here, but they usually form large flocks for migration and can be seen with golden plover and black-headed gulls.
