White-crowned lapwing

White-crowned lapwing

White-headed lapwing, White-headed plover, White-crowned plover

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Vanellus albiceps

The white-crowned lapwing, white-headed lapwing, white-headed plover or white-crowned plover (Vanellus albiceps ) is a medium-sized wader. It is resident throughout tropical Africa, usually near large rivers.

Appearance

This lapwing is unmistakable. Its wings and tail are strikingly patterned in black and white, the back is brown and the underparts white. The head is particularly striking, being mainly grey, but with a white crown and foreneck. The eyering, facial wattles and legs are yellow. Females, males and young birds are similar in plumage.

Habits and Lifestyle

It is a wader which breeds on exposed sand or shingle near rivers. 2–3 eggs are laid in a ground scrape. The nest and young are defended noisily and aggressively against all intruders, up to and including the hippopotamus.

Show More

Food is mainly insects and other small invertebrates. This species often feeds in small flocks when not breeding.

Show Less
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

Population number

The white-crowned lapwing is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

References

1. White-crowned lapwing Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-crowned_lapwing
2. White-crowned lapwing on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694021/112134563
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/444186

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About