Pied plover

The pied plover (Vanellus cayanus), also known as the pied lapwing, is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It is a bird of least concern according to the IUCN and can be found in northern South America. The species name cayanus refers to Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, where the pied plover can be found.

Pied plover
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadriidae
Genus: Vanellus
Species:
V. cayanus
Binomial name
Vanellus cayanus
(Latham, 1790)
Synonyms[2]
  • Charadrius cayanus Latham, 1790
  • Hoploxypterus cayanus (Latham, 1790)

There is confusion around its common name. Historically, the pied plover was considered to be a plover, which is a bird part of the subfamily Charadriinae. Most recently, it has been moved to the subfamily Vanellinae, which are the lapwings. The pied plover is still referred to as a plover because it physically resembles that group of birds in shape and size. However, based on taxonomy, it is more correct to refer to it as a lapwing.

Description

The pied plover is a strongly marked bird with a black and white pattern, buff on its back and wings, and white on its abdomen. Its eyes are encircled with bright red eye-rings. It has a prominent black V on its upper back and has long, red legs.[3][4] It is a medium-sized bird like most of the species in the family Charadriidae, measuring around 22 centimeters.[4]

There is no sexual dimorphism in this species; both males and females look the same.[4] Juveniles look similar, with the exception of them being more buff and the presence of buff eye-rings instead of red ones.[5]

Taxonomy

The pied plover belongs to the order Charadriiformes known as the shorebirds. It is within the family Charadriidae and in the genus Vanellus. It is closely related to the genus Charadrius – the typical plovers.[6]

The taxonomy within the family Charadriidae is still disputed and there have been many debates on the pied plover’s classification. The confusion comes from its plover-like appearance compared to other lapwings in the Vanellus genus.[7]

The pied plover was originally placed in the genus Charadrius with the plovers.[8] It was then hypothesized to be the only species in the genus Vanellus.[9] Later on, the pied plover was placed in the genus Hoploxypterus all alone, with 23 species in the genus Vanellus.[10] Currently, the accepted classification of the pied plover is within the genus Vanellus, along with two other species from South America as well as other species in Eurasia and Africa.[11]

Habitat and distribution

Pied plovers live along the shores of lakes and rivers where there is sand and mud.[5] They reside in the northern part of South America with their range covering Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.[12]

Not much is known about its movements, but the pied plover seems to change habitat during different parts of the year. It has been observed to move as high as 2600 meters in altitude in Bolivia, possibly due to the wet season pushing it to higher ground.[13]

Behavior

Little is known about the pied plover’s behavior. Conflicting behavior has been reported. At Serra da Capivara National Park in Brazil, they have been observed to flock only with members of their own species, not mixing with other waders along the shores.[14] However, pied plovers at Tambopata Reserve in Peru were seen alone or in pairs, not flocking together.[15]

Vocalizations

Pied plovers are a quiet species, not calling very often.[5] Their call sounds like “kee-oo”, with the second part lower in pitch.[16] When flying during their display, their call resembles repeated “klee” sounds.[17]

Diet

Not much is known about their diet. They mainly eat insects and snails but have been seen holding on to a crustacean with their bill, though it is unclear if they eat them.[5] Notable prey for the pied plover are scorpions, which was documented in Brazil.[18]

Reproduction

Their displays consist of them flying in the air in an undulatory pattern as they call. While on the ground, they stand facing each other with their wings spread. Generally, pied plovers mate between May and July and lay their eggs in July, though this varies by region.[19]

Pied plovers nest on the ground, digging a shallow hole. The nest is unlined and their eggs are directly touching the ground. When they leave the nest, they cover the eggs with sand for protection.[19]

Species account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Flight call

Call on shore

Collection of drawings and images

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Vanellus cayanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  2. "Pied Lapwing (Vanellus cayanus)". Avibase.
  3. Perlo, Ber van (2009). A field guide to the birds of Brazil. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195301540.
  4. "Pied Lapwing". Peru Aves. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  5. Wiersma, Popko; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020-03-04), Del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David; De Juana, Eduardo (eds.), "Pied Lapwing (Vanellus cayanus)", Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, doi:10.2173/bow.pielap1.01, S2CID 241419352, retrieved 2021-11-11
  6. Fain, Matthew G.; Houde, Peter (2007-03-08). "Multilocus perspectives on the monophyly and phylogeny of the order Charadriiformes (Aves)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 7 (1): 35. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-7-35. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 1838420. PMID 17346347.
  7. LIVEZEY, BRADLEY C. (2010-08-31). "Phylogenetics of modern shorebirds (Charadriiformes) based on phenotypic evidence: analysis and discussion". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 160 (3): 567–618. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00635.x. ISSN 0024-4082. S2CID 86108984.
  8. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Vanellus cayanus (Latham, 1790)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  9. Seebohm, Henry (1888). The geographical distribution of the family Charadriidae, or, The plovers, sandpipers, snipes, and their allies /. London: H. Sotheran. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51638.
  10. Ward, David (1992). "The behavioural and morphological affinities of some vanelline plovers (Vanellinae: Charadrüformes: Aves)". Journal of Zoology. 228 (4): 625–640. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04460.x. ISSN 1469-7998.
  11. De Pietri, Vanesa L.; Scofield, R. Paul; Prideaux, Gavin J.; Worthy, Trevor H. (2018-10-02). "A new species of lapwing (Charadriidae: Vanellus ) from the late Pliocene of central Australia". Emu - Austral Ornithology. 118 (4): 334–343. doi:10.1080/01584197.2018.1464373. ISSN 0158-4197. S2CID 90021022.
  12. "Hoploxypterus cayanus (Pied Lapwing) - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  13. Lane, Daniel F. (2014). "New and noteworthy records of birds in Bolivia" (PDF). Cotinga. 36: 56–67.
  14. Olmos, Fábio (March 1993). "Birds of Serra da Capivara National Park, in the "caatinga" of north-eastern Brazil". Bird Conservation International. 3 (1): 21–36. doi:10.1017/s0959270900000769. ISSN 0959-2709.
  15. Foster, Robin B. (1994). The Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone of Southeastern Perú: A Biological Assessment. Rapid Assessment Program Working Papers.
  16. Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London, UK: Christopher Helm.
  17. Hayman, P. (1986). Shorebirds. An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World. London, UK: Croom Helm.
  18. Polis, Gary A.; Sissom, W. David; McCormick, Sharon J. (December 1981). "Predators of scorpions: field data and a review". Journal of Arid Environments. 4 (4): 309–326. Bibcode:1981JArEn...4..309P. doi:10.1016/s0140-1963(18)31477-0. ISSN 0140-1963.
  19. Hilty, Steven L. (1986). A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University.
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