Black-winged Lapwing (Vanellus melanopterus)

Other Names (World)
Black-winged Lapwing, Greater Black-winged Lapwing, Black-winged Plover

Family
Charadriidae (Plovers)

Size
27 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Cretzschmar, 1829)

Habitat
In breeding season short-sward grassland on highland plateau and mountain slopes, open plains, dry savanna, and burnt fields with newly grown grass. In non-breeding season on wastelands, cultivated and fallow fields, meadows, airfields, coastal flats and golf-courses.

Range (Guide)

Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of].

Vagrant to Somalia.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 13,000 - 63,000 (2010).

Status LC
Habitat loss due to commercial afforestation is the main threat.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Carnivorous. Molluscs, earthworms, adult and larval insects, and occasionally small fish.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (23)...)

Black-winged Lapwing (Vanellus melanopterus) [XC517499]
by Rory Nefdt from Wakkerstroom \, South Africa (call, song)

Black-winged Lapwing (Vanellus melanopterus) [XC583518]
by isaac kilusu from Nanja dam,Monduli, Arusha Region, Tanzania (call)

Nest
A scrape in recently burnt short-sward grassland or on bare or newly ploughed land.

Subspecies
Has been proposed to form superspecies with Senegal Lapwing (Vanellus lugubris), but this is not supported by behavioural or morphological data.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

melanopterus (Cretzschmar, 1829) - Extreme eastern Sudan and Ethiopia; south-western Kenya to central-northern Tanzania.
minor (Zedlitz, 1908) - North-eastern Transvaal to eastern Cape Province (South Africa). Winters on coast, from extreme southern Mozambique to eastern Cape.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Black-winged Lapwing (Vanellus melanopterus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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