Deciphering the incubation and post-incubation predator-specific responses of Yellow-wattled lapwing, Vanellus malabaricus (Boddaert, 1783)

We investigated the incubation and post-incubation predator-specific responses of Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Vanellus malabaricus , in the years 2021 and 2022. Lapwing nesting pairs were counted using a line transect approach, and their anti-predator responses were recorded using scan and focal sampling methods with digital cameras and binoculars. We explored the anti-predator responses of lapwings to different types of predators, including avian (crows and kites), mammalian (humans, dogs, and cows/buffalos), and reptilian (snakes). Crows were the most common predators, whereas kites were the least common. We examined twelve distinct antipredator behavioral responses pertaining to three categories: alarm call, distraction, and aggressions. Our observations indicated a significant (p <0.05) variation in the frequency of defensive behavioral responses of lapwings during the incubation and post-incubation periods, depending on the predatory bird species. Antipredator behaviors such as standing still, sitting tight, injury feigning, false brooding, displacement feeding, pecking attack, and ungulate display were significantly (p <0.05) more frequent during the incubation period. In contrast, defense strategies, including alert calling, circle noisily, swooping attack, and mobbing, were significantly (p <0.05) more frequent during the post-incubation period.