The queen of drama...

We’re well used to drama queens after the many football matches we’ve been compelled to watch during the world cup. Well here’s one with a valid cause for drama.

Lapwing doing the dramatic broken wing display to distract predators

The mother lapwing fakes a broken wing to lure predators away from her nest site and young chicks so that she becomes the target for the attacker rather than her chicks. A good tactic as she has a fighting chance to fly away when the predator comes closer. Her chicks would be fast food for predators such as a foxes, pine marten, peregrine, harrier or even Golden Eagle.

Common lizards pursue a similar tactic by losing their tail. Lizards are a common sight during the summer on the many projects we work on. If you or a predator get too close, the lizard often sheds its tail which keeps moving providing an excellent distraction, while the lizard skulks into the undergrowth. A lot more impressive tactic that does fool the observer better than Neymar’s dramatics with or without the use of VAR.