African Wattled Lapwing ( Vanellus senegallus, family: Charadriidae)

Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Wattled Plover

african wattled lapwig kruger national park birds The African Wattled Lapwing (Latin name Vanellus senegallus) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 260 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 412 also a picture of the African Wattled Lapwing on page 385. The African Wattled Lapwing belongs to the family of birds classified as Charadriidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the African Wattled Lapwing is also known by these other names: Wattled Lapwing, Senegal Wattled Plover.

In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the African Wattled Lapwing was called the Wattled Plover

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The African Wattled Lapwing is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a rare resident

In terms of distribution of the African Wattled Lapwing in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. African Wattled Lapwing : see above distribution map.

Wattled Lapwing Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

The African Wattled Lapwing is a bird a little bit bigger than a starling. The height of the African Wattled Lapwing is about 35 cms and its weight is about 250 gms

The male and female African Wattled Lapwing have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is grey, brown.
  • Eye is yellow.
  • Bill is yellow.
  • Throat is black.
  • Back is grey, brown.
  • Legs are yellow, green.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The African Wattled Lapwing feeds on the ground mainly

Invertebrates

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The African Wattled Lapwing is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Vanellus senegallus will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of African Wattled Lapwing is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are grey in colour and number between 2 to 4

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for African Wattled Lapwing are: wetlands and riverine areas

You can expect to see African Wattled Lapwing in flocks, or pairs or as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... Unknown

Afrikaans ...Lelkiewiet

German ... Senegalkiebitz

Portuguese ... Abibe-carunculado

French ... Vanneau du Sngal

Dutch ... Lelkievit

First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list

For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 260

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za