The African Wattled Lapwing sometimes referred to as The Senegal Wattled Plover is found near to Footsteps at the nearby wetlands.
The yellow flaps under its eyes are called “wattles”, hence the name Wattled Lapwing.
Bird information.
Where is the African Wattled Lapwing found?
As mentioned earlier, this large wader is found a short stroll away from us at our nearby wetlands and next to the lodge in the farmer’s fields..
This species is a common breeder in wet lowland habitats, especially damp grassland and it often feeds in drier habitats such as savannah.
In Gambia for example this delightful bird is widespread and also generally fairly common.
What does it look like?
At around 34 cm, these are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are large brown waders with a black crown, white forehead and large yellow facial wattles. The tail is white, tipped black, and the long legs are yellow.
In-flight, the upper wings have black flight feathers and brown coverts separated by a white bar. The underwings are white with black flight feathers. Source Wikipedia.
What does it feed on?
The lapwing’s diet includes a range of insects, snails and other invertebrates scavenged from the ground. They sometimes also feed on some grains, such as rice. They feed mainly during the day and sometimes make use of their impressive legs to disturb insects from soft soil.
Want to know an interesting Factoid?
The African wattled lapwing is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Source Wikipedia
How does it sound?
It attracts attention to itself with a loud “peep-peep-peep” call.