Red-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus indicus
The 'did-he-do-it' bird of the open ground.
Seen atHaldwani
Opens recordings on xeno-canto, the open bird-sound archive.
What the hills call it
Titahri
/ ṭi·ṭah·ree /टिटहरी
Red-wattled Lapwing — The 'did-he-do-it' bird of the open ground.
Field notes
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae · Plovers & lapwings
- Genus
- Vanellus
- Length
- 32–35 cm
- Weight
- 110–180 g
- At Kunja
- Resident — here all year round
- Conservation
- Least Concern
How to know it
A bold ground-bird — black head and breast, brown back, white sides, long yellow legs and a red wattle before the eye. Famous for its loud alarm.
What it eats
Insects, grubs, worms and snails picked from open ground, often near water.
Where & when to spot it
On open ground, field edges, dry riverbeds and wet pasture, especially down in the foothills, giving its ringing 'did-he-do-it' day and night.
Nesting & mating
No real nest — eggs laid in a scrape on open ground, fiercely defended; usually four.
In the lens
Red-wattled Lapwing, photographed at Haldwani
Photographs by Manohar Negi · mnegi.com — tap any photo to view it full
More to spot
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Passer domesticus
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HirundinidaeRed-rumped Swallow
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PycnonotidaeHimalayan Bulbul
Pycnonotus leucogenys
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MegalaimidaeGreat Barbet
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