Bird of the week: Longtoed lapwing
These lapwings like permanent water with floating vegitation, especially waterlilies.
FORMERLY known as the longtoed plover, the longtoed lapwing is rare in South Africa and is found only in Zululand and northwards up the Mozambique coast and inland along the Zambezi valley to Caprivi in Namibia.
The call is a long, plaintive ‘wheeet’ in flight and a loud ‘kik-k-k-k’.
These lapwings like permanent water with floating vegetation, especially waterlilies. With their long toes, they can walk on the floating vegetation like the African jacana.
This lapwing is solitary or found in pairs and small family groups. They are shy and wary, except when breeding. Their food preference is molluscs and insects.
Breeding season is from July to October.
Two to four khaki or olive green eggs are laid in a nest which is a pad of water plants, built in shallow water.
Their incubation and fledgling details are unrecorded. They have no Zulu name and in Afrikaans are known as the witvlerkkiewiet.
