Spur-winged lapwing

Vanellus spinosus

The spur-winged lapwing or spur-winged plover is a lapwing species, one of a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae. It is one of several species of wader supposed to be the "trochilus" bird said by Herodotus to have been involved in an unattested cleaning symbiosis with the Nile crocodile.
Spurr-winged Plover Geotagged,Spring,Spur-winged Lapwing,The Gambia,Vanellus spinosus

Appearance

These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are medium-large waders with black crown, chest, foreneck stripe and tail. The face, the rest of the neck and belly are white and the wings and back are light brown. The bill and legs are black. Its striking appearance is supplemented by its noisy nature, with a loud "did-he-do-it" call. The bird's common name refers to a small claw or spur hidden in each of its wings.
Spur-winged lapwing - Vanellus spinosus Captured near Keramoti, Northern Greece. In Greece and Turkey it is migratory. The species is evaluated as Least Concern. The species has a predominately African distribution, however its breeding range extends into the east Mediterranean (Wiersma and Kirwan 2012), where it is found in Cyprus and Turkey, as well as Greece and Macedonia although its range has retracted in this area and it no longer breeds in Macedonia (Snow and Perrins 1998). Animal,Animalia,Aves,Bird,Charadriidae,Charadriiformes,Chordata,Geotagged,Greece,Nature,Spring,Spur-winged lapwing,Spur-winged plover,Vanellus spinosus,Wildlife

Naming

The "spur-winged plover" of southern Australasia is a different species, "Vanellus miles"; its common name has been changed to masked lapwing.

A similar-looking species, "Vanellus duvaucelii", from Southeast Asia was also called "spur-winged lapwing" while "V. spinosus" was referred to as a "plover". Its common name has been changed to river lapwing.
Spur-winged lapwing - Vanellus spinosus A few days ago I was lucky to see and shoot this beautiful bird again. Animalia,Aves,Charadriidae,Charadriiformes,Chordata,Eastern Macedonia,Europe,Geotagged,Greece,Lake Vistonida,Spring,Spur-winged lapwing,Vanellus spinosus,Wildlife

Distribution

The spur-winged lapwing breeds around the eastern Mediterranean, and in a wide band from sub-Saharan west Africa to Arabia. The Greek and Turkish breeders are migratory, but other populations are resident. The species is declining in its northern range, but is abundant in much of tropical Africa, being seen at almost any wetland habitat in its range. The spur-winged lapwing is one of the species to which the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" applies.
Spur-winged Plover in Serengeti natural spring water Africa,Serengeti Central,Serengeti National Park,Serengeti area,Spur-winged Lapwing,Tanzania,Vanellus spinosus

Behavior

This species has a preference for marshes and similar freshwater wetland habitats. The food of the spur-winged lapwing is insects and other invertebrates, which are picked from the ground.

It lays two blotchy yellowish eggs on a ground scrape. The spur-winged lapwing is known to sometimes use the wing-claws in an attack on animals and, rarely, people, who get too close to the birds' exposed offspring.
Spur-winged lapwing Found this bird at the Kalloni salt-pans on the Island of Lesvos Greece. Geotagged,Greece,Spring,Spur-winged lapwing,Vanellus spinosus

Habitat

This species has a preference for marshes and similar freshwater wetland habitats. The food of the spur-winged lapwing is insects and other invertebrates, which are picked from the ground.

It lays two blotchy yellowish eggs on a ground scrape. The spur-winged lapwing is known to sometimes use the wing-claws in an attack on animals and, rarely, people, who get too close to the birds' exposed offspring.

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