The African wattled lapwing, also known as the Senegal wattled plover or the wattled plover, is a brown lapwing belonging to the Charadriidae family. This bird is a resident in the Sub-Saharan countries of Africa. They sometimes can show seasonal movements as well but are typicall resident breeders. This bird attains a length of 13.5 in (34.2cm) and is easily recognized by its white forehead, black crown, yellow facial wattles, long legs, and beak. Their face is streaked and they have a brown colored body. When they are in flight, their brown tectrix and flight feathers can be seen clearly which are separated by a white line, while the underwings are white and have black edges. They are in good number and are facing no threats as such. The white-crowned lapwing is very similar to this bird but is actually smaller in size than this lapwing, doesn’t have a red base to the wattle, and has a white belly. They prefer drier habitats of damp grassland and golf courses in Sub-Saharan Africa.Have an interest in birds and want to know about more of them? Here you can know some amazing facts about Fischer’s lovebird and house wren!
Fun African Wattled Lapwing Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
African Wattled Lapwing Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is an African wattled lapwing?The Senegal wattled plover is a type of bird with a small colorful body, a vibrant yellow beak, and black flight feathers.What class of animal does an African wattled lapwing belong to?This species belongs to the Aves class, the family Charadriidae, and the genus Vanellus. Their scientific name is Vanellus senegallus. The immature birds have smaller wattles.How many African wattled lapwings are there in the world?The exact number of the African wattled lapwing is not known, but there are around 24 different species of lapwings in South America, southern Asia, Africa, Malaya, and Australia.Where does an African wattled lapwing live?This wattled lapwing prefers to live in drier habitats. Countries like South Africa, Mauritania, Somalia, Tunisia, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Ethiopia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Burundi, Gambia, Algeria, Chad, Sierra Leone, southern Mozambique, Rwanda, and Ghana are dry places. You can easily spot this lapwing there.What is an African Wattled Lapwing habitat?This Senegal Wattled Plover are of sub-Saharan habitats. Regions like wet lowland habitats, moist areas, open shrublands, damp grassland, marshes, floodplains, seeps, cultivated land, cropped grassland, burned grassland, swamps, riversides, lakesides, and golf courses. They go to search for their food both in the dry areas and sometimes more wet areas.Who does African wattled lapwing live with?Their social behavior is not studied yet. They can be seen in flocks sometimes, but that is rare because they are highly territorial and can become very aggressive towards their intruders or other birds. Males defend the territory, especially in the breeding season. They strike other birds with their wings in flight. After the breeding season, they become comparatively calmer and defend their territories from intruders by displaying different postures.How long does an African wattled lapwing live?The exact lifespan of the Senegal wattled plover is not known, but like other lapwings of class Aves, their lifespan might have a range of three to five years in their natural habitat.How do they reproduce?This species is monogamous and during the breeding season, territorial disputes are common between them. They are resident breeders. The nest they make is a shallow depression in the ground protected by grass, roots, stems, leaves and dry dung. The nest can be seen in burnt grasslands, marshy areas, or small islands. They lay eggs between July to December that are incubated by both male and female birds for 25-30 days. The peak season for laying eggs are the months of September and October. Babies leave the nest after 24 hours of hatching and fledge at about 40 days.What is their conservation status?According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this African wattled lapwing of genus Vanellus is in the category of Least Concern species. They have a wide distribution and their number has increased due to the changes caused by human activities in their habitat.African Wattled Lapwing Fun FactsWhat does the African wattled lapwing look like?The Senegal wattled lapwing is a medium-sized brown color bird. Their face and neck are streaked, they have a black crown, yellow facial wattles, and a white tail with a black edge. Their underwings are white. Their legs are longer in comparison to their small body. Their black flight feathers can be seen when these birds fly. The brown tectrix on the area of their upper wings is separated by a white line in the feathers. This bird has a loud peep call and shows seasonal movements but also is a resident breeder.How cute are they?You will be amazed by their vibrant long legs and similar-looking beak. They are not too small but not too large either. They are cute but look more appealing when they are in flight because of their patterned wings.How do they communicate?Not much information is known about their interacting behavior. However, they have a loud call to attract the attention of others or maybe to warn them of intruders to their territory. The African wattled lapwing call is a loud ‘peep-peep’ call.How big is an African wattled lapwing?They are medium-sized birds and are 13.5 in (34.2cm) in length. TheLyrebird of the same class Aves is three times the length of this bird.How fast can an African wattled lapwing fly?This species that inhabits wet lowland habitats with black flight feathers have good flying speeds. Their black flight feathers give them an excellent look when they fly and they look magnificent.How much does an African wattled lapwing weigh?The weight of this Senegal wattled plover is 8.8 oz (250 g). They are twice in weight as the common blackbird of the same class Aves.What are the male and female names of the species?There are no specific names for either adult males and females of African wattled lapwings. Males are simply called a male African wattled lapwing and the females are called a female African wattled ‘apwing.What would you call a baby African wattled ;apwing?The babies or young ones of this species are called chicks, like other birds of the family Charadriidae.What do they eat?This species can also be called insectivores as they mainly feed on insects as they live in Sub-Saharan Africa. They eat grasshoppers, caterpillars, crickets, locusts, beetles, caterpillars, termites, worms, and flies. They sometimes eat grasses and seeds too.Are they dangerous?There are almost no cases where this bird of Sub-Saharan Africa has proved to be dangerous to human beings. They are very small in size, so they can hardly cause serious harm to humans. However, they are very aggressive during the breeding season and with other birds during a territorial dispute.Would they make a good pet?They can make good pets. People pet different species of lapwings with keep other pets at home like cats and dogs. Under proper care and environment, these birds can show tame behavior.Did you know…This species has a Least Concern status but still, their population is believed to be decreasing. The increased commercial deforestation and their trading in the medicine market in Nigeria could be responsible for their reduction. The lapwing’s eggs are often eaten by dogs, mongeese, and kites.The Titodi bird in the Gujarati languae is called the red-wattled lapwing in English. These birds are found in Asia, India, and China.Are African wattled lapwings endangered?No, this species is not at all endangered. They are under the Least Concern status according to the IUCN and can be found in many dry areas as scrublands, bushes, swamps, marshes and golf courses.How did they get the name wattled lapwing?They got their name from an Old English word meaning ‘leap with a flicker in it’ because when they travel in flocks, they appear to flicker between black and white when the lapwings flap their wings. They have black flight feathers that are separated by a white from the brown tectrix. They have many other names as well like the green-plover, plover, peewit, shelduck fieldfare, bullfinch, redshank, lapwings, pewit, shoveler, yellowhammer, curlew, Vanellus, red-wattled, wheatear, wagtai and the twite.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these hornbill facts and Hawaiian hawk facts for kids.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable African wattled lapwing coloring pages.
What type of animal is an African wattled lapwing?
The Senegal wattled plover is a type of bird with a small colorful body, a vibrant yellow beak, and black flight feathers.
Fun African Wattled Lapwing Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
Fun African Wattled Lapwing Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
Fun African Wattled Lapwing Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
Fun African Wattled Lapwing Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
What do they prey on? Insects
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 3-4
How much do they weigh? 8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they? 13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Large brown
Skin Type Feathers
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
What do they prey on?
Insects
What do they eat?
Carnivore
Average litter size?
3-4
How much do they weigh?
8.8 oz (250 g)
How long are they?
13.5 in (34.2cm)
How tall are they?
N/A
What do they look like?
Large brown
Skin Type
Feathers
What were their main threats?
Humans
What is their conservation status?
Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Rainforests
Locations Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
Where you’ll find them?
Rainforests
Locations
Sub-saharan Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Vanellus
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Vanellus
Class Aves
Family Charadriidae
