The African wattled lapwing (Vanellus senegallus), also known as the Senegal wattled plover or simply wattled lapwing, is a large bird found in many parts of Africa. It is a member of the Charadriidae family, a group of largish waders.
These birds are conspicuous and unmistakable. You can find them living in most of sub-Saharan Africa, especially outside of rainforest areas.
Identification
These birds are easy to spot and recognize. One can identify the African wattled lapwing by its brown plumage, contrasting black crown, and white forehead. They are large, brown wading birds. The face is adorned with prominent yellow wattles, adding to its unique visage. Their tail is white with a black tip, and the long legs are yellow.
When the African wattled lapwing flies, you can see its wings clearly. In flight, the upperwings have black flight feathers and brown coverts separated by a white bar. The underwings are white with black flight feathers.
The African wattled lapwing has a very loud call. It sounds like a clear peep-peep.
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Habitat and Behavior
This species is a common breeder in wet lowland habitats, especially damp grassland. They especially like damp grasslands. It often feeds in drier habitats, such as golf courses, picking insects and other invertebrates from the ground. You might also see them feeding in drier places, like golf courses. They are known for their terrestrial feeding habits, often venturing into drier areas such as golf courses to forage.
When it's time to lay eggs, the female bird makes a simple nest on the ground.
African Wattled Lapwing
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List classifies the African wattled lapwing as Least Concern, indicating that, currently, there are no immediate threats to its population numbers.
The African wattled lapwing is one of the birds protected by an important agreement. This agreement is called the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
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Lapwings in Aviculture
Plovers are found throughout the world, except for Antarctica, and comprise a large family, Charadriidae, of which there are about 63 species. Stunning and beautiful shorebirds, unfortunately plovers are not often found in private aviculture and are more commonly found in zoos where they can provide them with the large enclosures they require. They make perfect display birds as they prefer to be in the open so are easily seen by all. Lapwings are alert and active, constantly wary, even at night.
Two of the most attractive lapwings are the Blacksmith (Vanellus armatus) and Spurwing (V. spinosus) species. The Vanellus lapwing species native to Africa are among the most popularly kept plovers, but there are other species native to Australia, such as the Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) that are also occasionally seen in USA aviculture. Adult lapwings are hardy, long-lived, and adaptable.
Care and Housing
Large and open is the key to housing plovers as it makes the birds very nervous to be in a confined space. Aviaries need to be comparable to 10 foot x 10 foot in size. Mature, healthy lapwings are tolerant of cold weather down to mid-30’s Fahrenheit. Although they enjoy bathing in the shallow parts of ponds or their water dishes, they do not like to be misted or sprayed with water. They will walk in very shallow water and wiggle their feet in the mud, one foot at a time, in front of them to grab any yummy tidbits they find.
Mixing with Other Species
Mixing plovers with other avian species can be done. They can be housed easily with many aerial bird species (finch, softbill, parrot, etc.) as they do not compete with perch space. Being territorial, plovers will often kill fledging chicks of other species on the ground and small ground birds, such as button quail, on the ground, if given the chance. They get especially aggressive during breeding but otherwise do not bother smaller birds that come to water or food dishes on the ground as long as the birds keep some distance between themselves and the plovers.
Feeding and Breeding
During breeding and raising chicks, we feed livefood daily and Paradise Earth Insectivore mix. Day and night, they are “watchdog” birds at aviaries as no strange person or animal can approach the aviaries without warning them away with their cries. Although not the easiest birds to breed, success can be accomplished. Lapwings usually live in pairs or small groups in the wild, but single birds are quite happy in captivity.
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