Blacksmith Lapwing: how to recognise it
A bird of Africa. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Pavel Shukov · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Vanellus armatus
- Family
- Plovers and Lapwings
- Size
- About 30 cm
- Habitat
- Wetland edges, shallow pools and short grass
- Found in
- Africa
The key marks
Black face, throat and breast, a white crown, grey back and black-and-white wings. Crowned Lapwing has a black cap with a white ring, a brown back and a white belly under a black band.
Voice
A loud, metallic 'tink-tink-tink', like a hammer on an anvil.
Good to know
Its alarm call sounds like a hammer on an anvil, which gave the bird its name.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Crowned Lapwing. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in wetland edges, shallow pools and short grass. It is especially common in South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.