Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus

>> GENERAL >>>>>

– medium-sizded wader, about the size of Northern Lapwing
– breeder in SE Europe, vagrant to W Europe
– nocturnal/diurnal migrant
– migrates singly or in small, rather dense flocks

>> VISUAL ID >>>>>


Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, AD
BIF3622, 10/02/2014, Entebbe, Uganda, Mathias Putze
– black crown and forehead, extended white cheeks
– steep forehead, black bill and dark red eyes
– small spur ‘thumbs’ at carpal joint (wrist)


Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, AD
BIF3628, 26/03/2019, Israel, Michael Heiß
– contrasty black and white from below
– black chin and breast stripe, black belly and flanks, white vent


Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, AD
BIF3629, 26/03/2019, Israel, Michael Heiß
– pure white underwing coverts contrasting to black remiges
– long legs, feet protrude the tail


Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, AD
BIF3622, 10/02/2014, Entebbe, Uganda, Mathias Putze
– greyisch brown mantle seperated from black remiges and primary coverts by white wing bar
– white rump and black rectrices (two outermost with small white tips)


Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, AD
BIF3623, 10/02/2014, Queen Elizabeth National Parc, Uganda, Mathias Putze
– white wing bar reaches the leading edge (same in White-tailed Lapwing and Grey-headed Lapwing)


Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, AD
BIF3625, 10/02/2014, Queen Elizabeth National Parc, Uganda, Mathias Putze
– at distance told from Sociable Lapwing by black secondaries and largely black tail
– small spurs at carpal joint (wrist) can be seen best against light backgrounds

>> ACOUSTIC ID >>>>>

– very vocal
– nevertheless may not have a separate flight or migration call
– often heard in flight a piercing, very short impulsive steep upslur
– main energy between 1 and 7 kHz
monophonic
– many evenly spaced inharmonic partials


– overview –

– detail –
Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus, call in flight
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis, song
Crested Lark Galerida cristata, song
BIF3630, 27/04/2012, Sandafa al Far, Egypt, Patrick Franke

>> COMPARISON SPECIES >>>>>

Grey-headed Lapwing (v)
Sociable Lapwing (v)
White-tailed Lapwing (v)
Northern Lapwing (v)
Sabine’s Gull (v)

#shorebird #wader

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