Red lapwing

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Red lapwing
Avefría coronada (Vanellus coronatus), Santuario de Rinocerontes Khama, Botswana, 2018-08-02, DD 22.jpg

Red Lapwing ( Vanellus coronatus )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Plover-like (Charadriiformes)
Family : Plover (Charadriidae)
Genre : Lapwing ( Vanellus )
Type : Red lapwing
Scientific name
Vanellus coronatus
( Boddaert , 1783)

The Crowned Lapwing ( Vanellus coronatus ) is an African species from the family of Plover (Charadriidae). Two subspecies are recognized, Vanellus coronatus coronatus , which occurs from Ethiopia through East Africa , with the exception of a large part of Mozambique , to South Africa and Namibia , and V. c. demissus from Somalia .

features

The red lapwing grows to a length of 20 to 34 cm and a weight of 126 to 200 g. The subspecies V. c. demissus is smaller than the nominate form . The bird is named after the black top of the head, which is surrounded by a white and a black band. The chest and top are pale brown, the darker lower breast is separated from the white belly by a black band. The legs and beak are reddish, the tip of the beak black, the eyes orange-yellow. In flight you can see a diagonal, white stripe of wings and the tail, which is white at the bottom and has a black band at the end. Males and females do not differ in color, the latter are only slightly smaller. The head drawing is less clear in the young birds. The similar amethyst racer ( Rhinoptilus chalcopterus ) always stands more upright and is also darkly colored below the eyes and beak.

The call of the kibitz is a high-pitched “er-iek”, an excited “krie-krie-krieep-krieep” (audio sample) or “wiek-iieek-iieek” (audio sample) and a rattling “tri-tri-tri”.

Way of life

Crowned lapwings occur in a wide range of dry habitats, including treeless or sparsely tree-covered savannas , open areas in thorn forests, deserts and dunes, but also cultivated land such as fallow fields or open areas close to cities such as golf courses and airports. The birds are attracted to areas that have recently burned down. They generally avoid moist soils and, unlike many other plovers, are not particularly common near bodies of water.

Crown kibits are partial pullers . In East Africa, a large part migrates during the rainy season, others are resident birds . Most birds migrate in South Africa. The hikes follow the dry seasons, the birds avoid the rain, as this makes the grass too long. Crowned lapwings live in pairs or in groups of 10 to 40, maximum 150 birds. The associations only hold together loosely.

Crowned lapwings feed on insects and their larvae, especially termites , beetles, grasshoppers , crickets and ants, and possibly also worms. The food is sought mainly during twilight, in the afternoon and on moonlit nights. Similar to cattle egrets , crowned lapwings hang around cattle and snatch away the insects that are scared off by the cattle or look in the animals' dung.

Reproduction

Crowned lapwings breed mainly during the dry season, in East Africa all year round, depending on the weather, in South Africa mostly from June to November. They are monogamous , non-territorial and build their nests in loose colonies, the individual nests are 25 to 50 m apart. The nests are built on the ground, often near trees. A hatchery is used for several years in a row. The clutch consists of two to three, rarely four eggs. The eggs are laid at daily intervals. Both sexes incubate for 28 to 32 days. The chicks are blackish-brown on the top and whitish on the underside. They fledge after a month.

literature

Web links

Commons : Vanellus coronatus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Derek Solomon: XC46004 · Red Lapwing · Vanellus coronatus (MP3) xeno-canto. February 20, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  2. ↑ Derek Solomon: XC45171 Crown Lapwing Vanellus coronatus (MP3) xeno-canto. January 13, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2019.