Spur-Winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Also known as: Spur-Winged Plover
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
188 g
About This Species
A boldly patterned plover of wetland margins, riverbanks and short grassland across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, easily identified by its black cap, throat and breast bands and the sharp double-note call it gives when alarmed. Look for pairs feeding along muddy shorelines and short turf near water, active by day and often the first bird to raise an alarm when a predator or person approaches.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep well back from birds that are calling persistently or performing a distraction display, since these are signs a nest or chicks are nearby on open ground and vulnerable to being stepped on.
- Wildlife protection laws differ across its wide range spanning Africa and the Middle East, so follow local reserve guidance rather than a single assumed rule.
- Avoid walking through short grassland or shoreline areas during the breeding season where alarm calling suggests a nest is close by.
LCAvesCharadriiformesCharadriidae
Seasonal Activity
189,815 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 188 g
Photo
(c) Adrien Mauss, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Adrien Mauss
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.