Seabirds and shorebirds
Crowned Plover Vanellus coronatus
Kathy Calf
Animal Demography Unit
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Photo Kathy Calf
Crowned Plover chick
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The Crowned Lapwing prefers dry, open habitats, either with or without scattered trees, in southern
and eastern Africa, as far north as Somalia and Ethiopia. It occurs throughout southern Africa, apart
from the most arid areas of southern Namibia and the Northern Cape, most of Lesotho and the contiguous
area of the Eastern Cape, and parts of southern Mozambique. It has benefited from the habitat impacts
of both affluent and poor communities; golf courses, sports fields and airports, on one hand, and
overgrazing on the other. In some areas, the presence of Crowned Plovers is an indicator of mismanagement
of ranchlands. In South Africa Crowned Plovers move locally in response to changing conditions.
Crowned Plovers, like many of the wader species breeding in South Afria, have a long breeding season,
often starting in August and ending in May. In addition, a pair may have more than one successful
breeding attempt. If nests or chicks are lost, further attempts to breed may occur. They lay two eggs
in a scrape in the sand, lined with vegetation or small pebbles. The eggs take about a month to hatch
and the chicks between four and five weeks to fledge.
Photo Kathy Calf
Crowned Plover adult
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Photo Kathy Calf
Crowned Plover chick
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