The Lapwings are medium-sized wading birds that belong to the family Charadriidae, that includes the plovers and dotterels. Whilst the plovers and dotterels belong to the subfamily Charadriinae, lapwings belong to the subfamily Vanellinae, although this also includes the Red-kneed Dotterel.

Lapwings is a term that describes what in general terms 'a large plover', which typically have a black and white head and underparts and a loud call.

One of the better known lapwings are the Masked Lapwing, also known as the Spur-winged Plover, a conspicuous bird native to Australia, in particular the northern and eastern regions, spreading into all states and territories. In the northern part of their range, they are usually called Masked Lapwings, whilst in the southern part of their range they are known as either Masked Lapwing or Spur-winged Plover.
 

Whilst they are the same species, they are two separate subspecies, in the north they are Venellus miles miles, in the south they are Vanellus miles novaehollandiae. The subtle difference are that the northern birds have a larger yellow wattle over their face and no black bands on their shoulders.

• Banded Lapwing (Vanellus tricolor)