Effect of group size and period of the day on daily activity patterns of yellow-wattled lapwing Vanellus malabaricus; (Boddaert, 1783) in Northern India

This study highlights the different behavioral activities of yellow-wattled lapwings (Vanellus malabaricus) in land and water habitats during the non-breeding seasons (2021 and 2022). To execute this field observation, we adopted line transects and scan and focal sampling methods. We recorded 110 lapwings (69 on land and 41 in water habitats). The average group size was higher on land than in water and both habitats (land and water) showed a positive relationship between the average group size and the time of day. While comparing nine behavioral categories, we observed that seven behavioral categories were significant between the habitat types (land and water). The influence of group size on foraging and vigilance showed a negative relationship, whereas maintenance and sleeping showed a positive relationship. Similarly, the effect of a period of the day on vigilance and foraging showed a negative relationship, while maintenance and sleeping showed a positive relationship.