Editing Lapwing (section)

{{Short description|Subfamily of birds}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Lapwings
| image = Vanellus armatus (taxobox).jpg
| image_caption = [[Blacksmith lapwing]] (''Vanellus armatus'')
| taxon = Vanellinae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1842
| subdivision_ranks = [[Genera]]
| subdivision = 
''[[Erythrogonys]]''<br />
''[[Vanellus]]''<br />
''[[Hoploxypterus]]''<br />
and see text
}}

'''Lapwings''' ([[subfamily]] Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds ([[Family (biology)|family]] [[Charadriidae]]) akin to [[plover]]s and [[dotterel]]s. They range from {{Convert|10 to 16|inch|cm}} in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, wailing cry.

The traditional terms "plover", "lapwing", and "dotterel" do not correspond exactly to current taxonomic models; thus, several of the Vanellinae are often called plovers, and [[Red-kneed dotterel|one]] a dotterel, while a few of the "true" plovers (subfamily [[Charadriinae]]) are known colloquially as lapwings. In general, a lapwing can be thought of as a larger plover.

In Europe's Anglophone countries, ''lapwing'' refers specifically to the [[northern lapwing]], the only member of this group to occur in most of the continent and thus the first bird to go by the English name ''lapwing'' (also known as ''peewit'' or ''pyewipe'').

In the fanciful taxonomy promoted by medieval [[Courtesy book|courtesy books]], a group of lapwings was called a "deceit".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lipton|first=James|url=https://archive.org/details/exaltationoflark0000lipt_x7z9|url-access=registration|title=An Exaltation of Larks|date=1991|publisher=Viking|isbn=978-0-670-30044-0|language=en}}</ref>