Lapwing, Oil on original 1963 OS map of Bantry.
75cm x 55cm (unframed), 85cm x 65cm (framed).
The national bird of Ireland is the Lapwing, also known as the Pilibín in Irish. It is a shorebird in the plover family, characterized by a long, crest on its head. The Northern Lapwing was officially chosen as the national bird in 1990 by the Irish Wildlife Conservancy.
The Lapwing population in Ireland is in serious decline, with a red listed status due to significant drops in both breeding and wintering numbers from an estimated 16,250 pairs in 1993 to around 2,000 pairs in 2008. The native population is bolstered in both Summer and Winter by visitors from Europe.