Behaviour Associated With Breeding of Crowned, Blackwinged and Lesser Blackwinged Plovers

Summary Ward, D. 1989. Behaviour associated with breeding of Crowned, Blackwinged and Lesser Blackwinged Plovers. Ostrich 60: 141–150. The behaviour of Crowned Plovers Vanellus coronatus, Blackwinged Plovers V. melanopterus and Lesser Blackwinged Plovers V. lugubris in mate and territory acquisition and defence was documented and related to the habitats these birds occupy. The open habitat occupied by vanelline plovers makes them particularly vulnerable to predation and as a result, they have a highly-developed ability to detect potential predators and have developed a number of behavioural strategies to avoid predation. This has resulted in these birds having a higher reproductive success than that documented for other precocial birds.