The Southern Wattled Lapwing is the subspecies Vanellus senegallus lateralis of the African Wattled Lapwing, a large, conspicuous wader found across sub-Saharan Africa. It is known for its bold yellow facial wattles with fleshy red bases and its loud, sharp calls.
Key Facts
Scientific Name: Vanellus senegallus lateralis
Alternative Names: African Wattled Lapwing, Senegal Wattled Plover, or simply Wattled Lapwing.
Physical Appearance: A large, brownish bird, about 34 cm (13.5 in) long, with a black crown, white forehead, long yellow legs, and prominent yellow facial wattles that have red bases. In flight, its upper wings display a white bar separating black flight feathers from brown coverts.
Habitat: It prefers open and moist areas such as marshes, wet grasslands, and the edges of lakes, but is adaptable and also found in drier savannas, cultivated fields, and even golf courses.
Distribution: This particular subspecies is a resident breeder in southern and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to western Kenya, south to northern Namibia and eastern South Africa.
Diet: It is an insectivore, feeding primarily on insects and other invertebrates (such as grasshoppers, beetles, and worms) picked from the ground while walking slowly or using "foot-trembling" to disturb prey.
Behavior: Known for being vigilant and vocal, it has a loud, sharp call, often rendered as a "peep-peep-peep" or "did-he-do-it". It is territorial, especially during the breeding season, and aggressively defends its ground nest from intruders.
Breeding: It lays 2-4 eggs in a shallow ground scrape, often lined with grass or pebbles. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the chicks, which are precocial and leave the nest shortly after hatching to forage with their parents.
This bird is protected under the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
