The legs and base of the beak are red, the top side is brownish, the chest is striped, the sides are spotted, there is a bright ring around the eye and short eyebrow stripe. During flight, the wide white trailing edge of the wing and the white oblong-triangular preen gland area are visible. In the summer, adult birds have thick, slightly irregular specks and streaks on both the top and undersides; however, in the winter, the top side and breast area are brownish-grey.
The Northern lapwing is a pigeon-sized wader with a stout body and a unique long thin tuft on its nape. The dark top part of the plumage looks slightly green and purple with a metallic sheen, while the underside is white. The wing tips are impressively wide with white feathers below and dark above. In the summer, male birds can be recognised by their longer tufts and pure black throats and faces, while females have shorter tufts and a smaller black mark on the front of their necks that is slightly mixed with white. In the winter, the feathers of adult birds at the front of the neck and beneath the chin are white, while the top part and covert feathers are slightly cream-coloured at the tips.