Meet the masked lapwing, one of South Australia's other swooping birds

Move over maggies, it's time to talk about the masked lapwing!

Masked lapwings – often called plovers – are medium sized birds with distinctive yellow wattles on their face (which look a bit like a mask).

With a loud screech and sometimes aggressive behaviour, an encounter with one may be a scary experience.

But really, masked lapwings are just trying to protect their kids from perceived threats (which might be you).

To help you out this nesting season, we’re going to explain more about their behaviour and give you some tips to avoid being swooped.

Where are masked lapwings found?

Masked lapwings are found across South Australia and have adapted to living in urban settings.

They live in a variety of areas, including along coastlines, in marshland and grassland and near dams or lakes.

Unlike many birds, masked lapwings are very comfortable with open spaces. Their ideal nesting spot offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding area so they can easily see potential threats.

This means they’re quite often found nesting in rather inconvenient places, like public ovals, parks, golf courses and even construction sites or on flat roofs.

Why do they swoop? 

Masked lapwings most commonly breed during late winter and spring.

It is while they’re incubating their eggs and directly after their chicks have hatched that these birds will most fiercely protect their nests, typically a period of about 3-4 weeks.

This is when their young are most vulnerable, which is why the parents try so hard to keep them safe.

They’ve been known to dive on perceived intruders – human and animal alike – or pretend they have a broken wing to distract and lure you away.

The chicks grow quickly and begin foraging for food soon after hatching, so the family tends to spend less time near the nesting area. This often gives people some reprieve during the day if passing by the area.

Once the chicks learn to fly — usually around 6 weeks after hatching — the defensive behaviour typically stops altogether.

Unlike the Australian magpie, masked lapwings primarily swoop as a scare tactic and contact is rare. So, while it might be unpleasant to be swooped, they are just trying to be good parents.

It’s also important to remember that as a native species, masked lapwings are protected by the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, and it is an offence to interfere or harm them or their eggs.

Relocation of nests is rarely appropriate and often results in abandonment of the eggs. The removal of any protected bird eggs also requires a permit.

We need to do our best to live with them, so even if their nest is in an inconvenient spot – such as your local park – if you give them some space for a few weeks, you can soon go back to living in harmony with these birds.

Do masked lapwings have barbs? 

Masked lapwings have small spurs on their wings (about where you’d expect its elbows to be).

They can hide these under their feathers, but when they are feeling threatened, they bring them out.

There’s an urban myth that these barbs are venomous, but that’s not true. While it is unlikely, they can nick you with these spurs while swooping.

How to avoid a masked lapwing nest in your yard 

While it might be easy enough to change your walking route, having a masked lapwing nesting in your backyard can present some issues.

They often return to the same area to nest, so if you’ve had issues in previous years, taking steps to make the open space less appealing before they nest again can be the best approach:

• Try moving some garden furniture or pot plants temporarily to the open spaces of your backyard.
• Consider letting your lawn grow longer as the birds prefer to nest in short grass.
• For a more permanent solution, consider planting shrubs and other larger plants to decrease the amount of open area, you may even attract some nice little birds to your yard instead.

How to avoid getting swooped

1. Listen out for their warning call– masked lapwings make a distinctive, loud ‘kekekekeke’ noise, which is often used as a warning when you’re getting too close (visit Birdlife Australia’s website to hear it for yourself).
2. Avoid the area – if you know you have masked lapwings nesting in your neighbourhood, the best way to avoid being swooped is to change your usual routes.
3. Keep your head down and don’t panic – waving your hands around or acting erratically could be perceived as threatening. It also increases the chance of the bird accidentally hitting you while swooping.
4. Dismount your bicycle and stop running – running or riding a bicycle can often aggravate the birds, so try to slow down or dismount and move away from the area.
5. Avoid walking directly towards the bird or nest or making eye contact – if you’re unsure where the nest is, the birds will often become more aggressive the closer you get, so use this as a cue to move in another direction.
6. Protect your head – wear a wide brimmed hat and glasses or walk with an open umbrella above your head.
7. Travel in a group – walk or ride in groups, as swooping birds usually only target individuals.
8. Let others know – you can place a sign nearby to warn others, or notify your local council so they can install temporary signage during the nesting period. If appropriate, consider safely establishing a 10 – 20 metre diameter barrier around the nest to alert people to the area. Materials like rope, bunting, flagging tape or stakes can be used to clearly mark the space.

Other swooping birds

Along with the well-known Australian magpies, other birds such as magpie-larks, grey butcher birds, noisy minors, red wattlebirds and laughing kookaburras are also known to swoop during nesting season.

To learn more about living with our native wildlife, visit the Department for Environment and Water’s website.

Want to learn more about birds this nesting season? Check out 7 birds’ nests you can see in South Australia or discover 7 tiny birds to look out for in South Australia. 

Main image courtesy Martin Stokes.