White-tailed Lapwing
The White-tailed Lapwing or White-tailed Plover (Vanellus leucurus) is a species of wading bird found in Iraq, Iran and southern Russia. Birds from Iraq and Iran are mostly resident, but Russian birds are migratory and winter in south Asia, the Middle East and northeast Africa. It thrives in inland marshes.
This medium-sized lapwing has long legs and a fairly long bill. The adult is slim and erect. It has a brown back and foreneck, paler face and gray breast. It has long yellow legs, a pure white tail and unique brown, white and black wings. The young have a scaly back, and may show some brown in the tail. The breeding call is a peewit.
The nest is on the ground and the female lays four eggs. It is the only species of lapwing to be seen in other than very shallow water, where it feeds on insects and other small prey mainly from the surface.
The White-tailed Lapwing is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.