DUBAI, 23 March 2007 — The nest of a rare migratory bird, the White-tailed Lapwing, was spotted in Dubai for the first time indicating the bird’s successful breeding in this part of the region, said Dr. Reza Khan, head of Dubai Zoo.

An avid birdwatcher, Dr. Khan spotted the nest recently in a Pivot Field (Rhodes grass field) off Al Warsan near the Sewage Treatment Plant of Dubai Municipality. Four eggs were laid in the ground nest. Though the species is occasionally spotted in Dubai, this is for the first time a sign of its successful breeding emerged.

“White-tailed Lapwing or White-tailed Plover (Vanellus leucurus) is a wader in the lapwing family of birds. The nest I found was in a mat grass bed in an open area of over a hectare area of the farm. It was virtually devoid of any nesting material except a few tiny twigs and dry grass blades. But there was a slight depression on the ground made through pressing down the original green grass. The clutch contained four eggs, which were heavily blotched and more or less merged with the grassy background,” said Dr. Khan.

“Lapwings were rare migratory birds to the UAE even during the 1990s. Now we have a breeding population in the Pivot Field and Al Warsan Lake in Dubai. The total population in these areas could be over 50. Some specimens from these areas could venture into the neighboring wetlands including the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and Nad Al Sheba. Some could frequent marshland or harvested crop and grass fields bordering the wetlands,” he said.

“Most birdwatchers visiting these areas are familiar with this bird as it is easily approachable for watching or being photographed from as close as 15 meters. We had seen chicks of this species in the past but failed to spot a nest in the past,” added Dr. Khan.

This lapwing is brownish with very long yellow legs and feet, black claws, unmarked head and no eye-stripe. When on wings, its pure white tail and pied wings with brownish back are very conspicuous. Its bill is black and eyes are dark. Adults have brownish head, neck and throat with a grey breast and rest of the underside white. Juveniles have all brownish body with whitish underside. They are usually seen alone or mix with other species near water or in fields bordering such water areas.