Bird Guide

Crowned Lapwing vs Spur-winged Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus)

Crowned Lapwing

Vanellus coronatus

Medium165 gGrassland

The crowned lapwing is easily recognized by its combination of brown and white colours, with most tellingly, a black crown intersected by an annular white halo. Adults are noisy and conspicuous. Males measure on average 3% larger than females. Juveniles are dull versions of adults, vermiculated on the wings and mantle, the legs yellowy rather than red and the bill lacking the red base.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Diego Rubolini · CC BY 4.0
Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus)

Spur-winged Lapwing

Vanellus spinosus

Medium188 gWetland

The spur-winged lapwing is a medium-large wader with a 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. It has 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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Jon Paul Rodríguez · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Crowned Lapwing and Spur-winged Lapwing.