Long-toed Lapwing vs Spot-breasted Lapwing

Vanellus crassirostris compared with Vanellus melanocephalus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Long-toed Lapwing Spot-breasted Lapwing
Scientific Name Vanellus crassirostris Vanellus melanocephalus
Order Charadriiformes Charadriiformes
Family Charadriidae Charadriidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 41.9 cm (16.5 in) 46.9 cm (18.5 in)
Weight 181.75 g (6.41 oz) 213.5 g (7.53 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 1-4 4
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Long-toed Lapwing only

None

Spot-breasted Lapwing only

None

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Long-toed Lapwing

Least Concern

Spot-breasted Lapwing

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About These Birds

Long-toed Lapwing

Long-toed Lapwing: 28–31 cm, striking white-and-black lapwing with an elongated hindtoe and red legs. Inhabits floating vegetation and margins of papyrus swamps and flooded grasslands across central and eastern Africa from South Sudan to Zambia. Walks on lily pads when foraging. Insectivorous. Largely sedentary.

Spot-breasted Lapwing

Spot-breasted Lapwing: 28–30 cm, Ethiopian highland endemic lapwing with a black head and breast spotted white, and red legs. Restricted to high-altitude moorland and montane grassland above 1,800 m in Ethiopia. Insectivorous. Sedentary; rare and little-studied. Declining due to overgrazing and agricultural encroachment.

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