From Opus

Photo by Tamir'
Location: Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Vanellus melanopterus

[edit] Identification

White underparts, grey head and neck, black breast band, brown wing coverts, white forehead patch and wingbar.

[edit] Distribution

Disjunctly distributed through Eastern African highlands: Ethiopia to South Africa.

[edit] Taxonomy

Photo by PicMan
Ethiopia

[edit] Subspecies¹

• V. m. melanopterus - Extreme southern Sudan to Ethiopia; south-western Kenya to central Tanzania
• V. m. minor - Eastern Cape Province to north-eastern Transvaal; winters to southern Mozambique

[edit] Habitat

Short grassland.

[edit] Behaviour

Gregarious; usually in groups of 4-20 birds, often with Crowned Lapwing.

[edit] Diet

Feeds on invertebrates.

[edit] Breeding

3 large dark eggs are laid and are incubated for about 28 days; the young fledge after a further month.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2008. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

[edit] External Links