Chibis has a wide habitat, covering the northwestern part of Africa, the steppe and forest-steppe zone of Eurasia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Only near the B altic Sea and in Western Europe do they lead a sedentary lifestyle, and throughout the rest of the territory the lapwing travels. The bird is known to many, because in nature it is very common and attracts attention with a loud squeaky cry.
Meadow lapwing resembles a jackdaw or a dove in size, only its wings are much wider. The black and white plumage with purple and blue-green sheen immediately catches the eye, and a crest is located on the back of the head. After wintering in warm regions, they fly to us early in spring, when there is still snow, and immediately settle down in meadows, near swamps or in wet fields. They prefer to live in large families or in pairs, they fly away in flocks, reaching more than a hundred birds.
In many countries the lapwing is known. The bird has different names - for example, inIn Russia, it is called a pigalitsa, a meadow, a vshivik, and in Poland and Ukraine it is mistakenly called a seagull. Slavic peoples at all times loved her, revered her, so it was strictly forbidden to kill a feathered one. Perhaps most of the legends, songs and poems are dedicated not to a real seagull, but to a lapwing, because it also has a characteristic sad, weeping sound of a voice. One of the Ukrainian hetmans made this bird a symbol of Ukraine; in the legends, it appears either as an inconsolable widow, or as a miserable mother whose children are taken away.
At the nesting place, along with such early guests as a wild pigeon, a lark, a starling, a lapwing arrives. The bird builds a nest right on the ground, digging a shallow hole and covering it with dry grass. The female lays four eggs, which she then hatches in turn with her partner. Parents are worried about the safety of the chicks, so when they see a person from afar, they fly towards them from their shelter and scream. Their cries are very much like the exclamation "whose are you, whose are you." Lapwings do not retreat and accompany a dangerous object, making incredible somersaults in the air.
Chicks are a bit like penguins in their behavior, in case of danger they hide. Running a short distance, the kids stretch out in a “column”, as if listening to the surrounding sounds. The lapwing feeds on insects, worms, snails, centipedes and various invertebrates. The bird has adapted to living in an agrolandscape environment; it feels comfortable next to cattle and humans. Decrease in agriculturalland had a negative impact on the population of this species of birds.
Strange as it may seem, but abandoned and uncultivated fields, pastures overgrown with high weeds do not consider lapwings their home. The bird, whose photographs evoke affection, unfortunately, is becoming less and less common. It should be noted that every year their number decreases. The reason for this is not only a change in the natural habitat, but also the extermination of thousands of individuals by hunters. Especially lapwings suffer during wintering where their meat is included in the diet of local residents: these are Iran, China, the countries of Western Asia. Therefore, biologists are making every effort to protect birds from extermination, at least in Russia.
