Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyCharadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
- GenusVanellus (Lapwings)
- SpeciesVanellus armatus (Blacksmith Lapwing)
The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (Vanellus armatus) is a lapwing species that occurs commonly from Kenya through central Tanzania to southern and southwestern Africa. The vernacular name derives from the repeated metallic 'tink, tink, tink' alarm call, which suggests a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Selous Game Reserve
White-headed Lapwing
Vanellus albiceps
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
African Wattled Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus
Common Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticula
Water Thick-knee
Burhinus vermiculatus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
African Skimmer
Rynchops flavirostris
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Blacksmith Lapwing at Selous Game Reserve — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there