Plover Plays Traffic Warden for Its Young Chick on New South Wales Road

Salah Sayarah is keen on camping, fishing and the great outdoors, and documents his adventures on Instagram and Facebook. There, on November 21, he posted a touching parental moment displayed by a plover he came across in his 4×4.

Sayarah told Storyful he was near Lake St Clair in the Hunter Valley, “driving in the bush toward the campsite,” when “suddenly this bird has jumped and waved for me to stop.”

His video shows the lapwing standing in the road spreading its wings. It then becomes clear why the parent is concerned: a tiny little chick is still in the road, right in front of Sayarah’s vehicle. Another chick is visible on the grassy verge.

On Instagram, Sayarah wrote, “She took the risk to jump in front of the car and protect her kids. It’s really inspiring what parents would do to protect their kids.”

According to the Australian Museum, the masked lapwing, a ground-dwelling bird, is known for putting up strong defense of its nesting sites. It’s also know for “acting like it has a broken wing to lure the intruder away from the nest.” Credit: @epicadventures_aus via Storyful