The crowned lapwing, or crowned plover, is a bird of the lapwing subfamily that occurs contiguously from the Red Sea coast of Somalia to southern and southwestern Africa. It is an adaptable and numerous species, with bold and noisy habits. It is related to the more localized black-winged and Senegal lapwings, with which it shares some plumage characteristics.
Region
Eastern and Southern Africa
Typical Environment
Found from the Red Sea coast of Somalia south through East Africa to Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Prefers open, dry to semi-arid savannas, short-grazed grasslands, and lightly vegetated plains. Common around overgrazed pastures, burned areas, airfields, golf courses, and road verges where ground is bare or turf is closely cropped. Avoids dense, tall grass and closed woodland but may occur around pans and floodplains when ground is exposed. Often persists in suburban fringes where open fields remain.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called the crowned plover, this lapwing is famous for the striking black crown encircled by a bold white ring. It thrives in open, short-grass habitats and readily uses human-altered landscapes such as airfields and golf courses. It is noisy and conspicuous, often giving loud alarm calls and boldly mobbing intruders near its nest. Nests are simple scrapes on bare ground, and both adults share incubation and chick care.
Close-up of a bird in Johannesburg
Temperament
bold, alert, and noisy
Flight Pattern
strong and direct with rapid wingbeats; conspicuous white wing flashes in flight
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small groups, forming larger loose flocks outside the breeding season. Ground-nesting in a shallow scrape, often on bare or stony soil. Both sexes incubate and aggressively mob predators or humans near the nest. Chicks are precocial and follow parents soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident with local nomadic movements following rainfall and food availability
Song Description
Loud, rapid, yelping calls, often rendered as sharp ‘kree-kree-kree’ notes. Vocal both day and night, especially when alarmed or during territorial displays.
Plumage
Smooth brown upperparts with clean white underparts and a sharply defined black crown encircled by a broad white ring. In flight, shows a bold white wing bar contrasting with dark flight feathers. The bill is red with a black tip and the tail has white with a darker terminal band.
Diet
Feeds mainly on terrestrial invertebrates such as termites, ants, beetles, and grasshoppers, plus other small arthropods. Occasionally takes small snails or other invertebrates and rarely seeds. Forages by running and stopping to pick prey from the surface, and may hawk briefly for flying insects.
Preferred Environment
Short-grazed lawns, overgrazed pastures, burned ground, and edges of pans or airstrips where bare soil or very short turf exposes prey. Frequently forages near livestock or after grass fires where insects are abundant.
