Spur-winged plover

Commonly seen in open paddocks and on lawns, announcing itself with a loud, staccato cry.

Story

This Australian lapwing first bred near Invercargill in 1932 and had spread to Northland by the 1980s. Protected from 1946, it lost legal protection in 2010 after complaints about crop damage and aircraft strikes.

Behaviour

Pairs defend their territory fiercely and often mob swamp harriers. Their loud, staccato alarm call is often heard at night. They nest in a bare scrape on open ground between June and November.