Crowned Lapwings Vanellus coronatus
South Africa

Crowned Lapwings (or Crowned Plovers as they are also widely known) are widespread on savannas in Africa from Ethiopia to Angola - particularly favouring dry, short, or over-grazed grassland - and are common throughout South Africa where they are regularly found in suburban settings. They feed mainly by opportunistically foraging on a wide variety of insects, but mostly ants and termites which are often extracted from the dung of large mammals.

Even though Crowned Lapwings live in open grassland where there is no vegetation to conceal them, they are in fact surprisingly difficult to see when they stand still - until, that is, they call. Like many members of the Vanellus genus Crowned Lapwings are highly vocal when they sense a threat, giving shrill, loud erEEKs or agitated kree-kree-kreeip-kreeips.

All photos copyright Charlie Moores