Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)

Red-wattled Lapwing

The Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) is a medium-sized plover occurring in West, South, and Southeast Asia (from Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and southern Russia through India up to Vietnam and Malaysia). The birds are generally found in pairs or smaller groups, only rarely they form larger flocks with sometimes more than 100 birds. They favor open habitats in and around wetlands, ploughed fields, or grazing land. Their diet consists of insects, snails, worms, crustaceans, and other invertebrates as well as some vegetable matter such as seeds. In India, the Red-wattled Lapwing can be found in most wetlands. I have seen them many times on journeys through Kachchh, western India. The photographs in this post are from around the Hamirsar Tank in Bhuj in December 2013 and January 2015.