Black-headed Lapwing (Vanellus tectus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Black-headed Lapwing

Vanellus tectus (Boddaert, 1783)

100 gWeight

The black-headed lapwing or black-headed plover (Vanellus tectus) is a large lapwing, a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae.

Busiest months: January and November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Gambia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January and November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Gambia

Black-headed Lapwing has been recorded at 103 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda218 records
  2. Tsavo East NP – Southern SectionKenya151 records
  3. Tsavo East NPKenya122 records
More places
  1. Richard Toll – zone aéroportSenegal116 records
  2. Aledeghi Wildlife ReserveEthiopia108 records
  3. Murchison Falls NP – PakubaUganda90 records
  4. Lake BaringoKenya85 records
  5. Fajara Golf ClubGambia81 records
  6. Tsavo West NPKenya66 records
  7. Waza NPCameroon57 records

Countries and regions with the most records

KenyaUgandaGambiaSenegalEthiopiaCameroonGhanaChad

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-headed lapwing or black-headed plover (Vanellus tectus) is a large lapwing, a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae. It is a resident breeder across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, although it has seasonal movements. It lays two or three eggs on a ground scrape.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black-headed Lapwing?

The Black-headed Lapwing weighs around 100 g.

Where does the Black-headed Lapwing live?

Its breeding range: Africa: inland Sahel to eastern Africa. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Uganda and Gambia.

When is the best time to see the Black-headed Lapwing?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-headed Lapwing endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-headed Lapwing as Least Concern.

What does the Black-headed Lapwing eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Black-headed Lapwing in?

It belongs to the family Plovers (Charadriidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Weight
100 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
185 mm
Tail
85 mm
Bill
26 mm
Tarsus
58 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: inland Sahel to eastern Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Plovers Charadriidae
Genus
Vanellus

Other birds in the genus Vanellus

Northern LapwingNorthern LapwingVanellus vanellusLong-toed LapwingLong-toed LapwingVanellus crassirostrisBlacksmith LapwingBlacksmith LapwingVanellus armatusSpur-winged LapwingSpur-winged LapwingVanellus spinosusRiver LapwingRiver LapwingVanellus duvauceliiYellow-wattled LapwingYellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricusWhite-crowned LapwingWhite-crowned LapwingVanellus albicepsSenegal LapwingSenegal LapwingVanellus lugubrisBlack-winged LapwingBlack-winged LapwingVanellus melanopterusCrowned LapwingCrowned LapwingVanellus coronatusAfrican Wattled LapwingAfrican Wattled LapwingVanellus senegallusSpot-breasted LapwingSpot-breasted LapwingVanellus melanocephalus
Black-headed Lapwing

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Paul Cools. ↗

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