The Masked Lapwing (Spurwing Plover) has a call that sounds like an alarm clock going off. You’ll see that the northern birds have bigger yellow wattles over their face and no black bands on their shoulders. When I lived in the house that was part of a plant nursery, our kitchen looked over a large area of shade cloth.

They have spurs on the underside of their wings and can attack if disturbed, with a great amount of agression. It is very common across northern, eastern and southern Australia but does not live in western Australia. The masked lapwing (Vanellus miles), also known as the masked plover and often called the spur-winged plover or just plover in its native range, is a large, common… Masked Lapwings are a common visitor to grassy and wet areas of our cities and towns. The spur is yellow with a black tip. Masked Lapwing bird photo call and song/ Vanellus miles … I’ve digitally manipulated a picture of a Masked Lapwing in the pictures above, to help. The southern subspecies has black on the hind neck and sides of breast, and has smaller facial wattles. The Masked Lapwing, also known as a plover, has an eerie call most often heard at night - 'kekekekekekekek'. They love to nest on the ground in parks, school ovals, golf courses, sports fields, and pastures. Birds have large yellow wattles covering the face, and are equipped with a thorny spur that projects from the wrist on each wing. The masked lapwing is Australia's largest plover — some people call them spur-wing plovers or masked plovers. Masked Lapwing (Plover) Go Back. They nest in open spaces (and generally like open spaces). the masked lapwing of Northern Australia, which has a white neck and large yellow wattles - the male has a distinctive mask and larger wattles; the spur-winged plover of the southern and eastern states which has a black neck-stripe and smaller wattles. Northern birds are smaller, without the partial black collar, but have a much larger wattle, which covers most of the side of the face. Masked Lapwings are large, ground-dwelling birds that are closely related to the waders. The Masked Lapwing is mainly white below, with brown wings and back and a black crown. The sexes are similar in both subspecies, although the male tends to have a larger spur. Breeding in Australasia: widespread; can be seen in 12 countries. Masked Lapwings breed after wet weather, in summer and autumn in northern Australia and during winter to early spring in southern Australia. Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) bird calls and sounds on dibird.com. So you can play it safe and call them all Masked Lapwings, or you can learn to tell the two sub-species apart, because that’s easy to do. The masked lapwing can be found widely across the northern half of Australia. Masked Lapwings are large, ground-dwelling birds that near live marshes, mudflats, beaches and grasslands and are often seen in urban areas. Because the masked lapwing's nest is on the ground, you might not know they're there until you hear the first cry from an adult. The Masked Lapwing has two subspecies resident in Australia.