Mating system and nest site fidelity of the grey-headed lapwing vanellus cinereus

Abstract

We studied breeding ecology of the Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus by tracing nesting of 31 banded adults and their precocial chicks in Ogura-ike Farmland, Kyoto, for five breeding seasons from 2007 to 2011. From incubation to chick-rearing periods, banded males and females of seven pairs took care of their offspring cooperatively and the monogamous mating system of this species was confirmed. The pair relationship was maintained over years, notably in two pairs which remained stable for four and five years, respectively, even after failure in breeding. Thirteen birds (four males, eight females, one bird sex-unknown) returned to the study area and nested on the same block of the paddy field. Thus, nest site fidelity in this species can be strong.