Lapwings
The Long-toed Lapwings (Vanellus crassirostris) are African birds found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Within their range, this species is mostly sedentary (non-migratory) except for some seasonal movements at the height of the dry season to wetland areas.
The Long-toed Lapwings typically occur in small flocks of 10 – 40 individuals. However, in favored feeding areas – such as on flooded grasslands or in other wetland areas – up to 100 of them may congregate.
During the breeding season, pairs separate from the flock as they concentrate on the task of raising young. They make their nests on shallow scrapes in the mud along the water’s edge, in shallow depressions in short grasses, or on floating vegetation.
These birds are typically associated with lakes, pools, ponds, and canals with floating vegetation. They also forage on marshes, in swamps, and slow-flowing rivers, grass-covered floodplains, water meadows, and flooded rice fields.
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