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Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
7.01367, 38.4741
Field Notes
Description:
Also known as Spur-winged Plover, this is a medium sized wader from the family Charadriidae, a bit short of 30 cm in length. Unmistakable long-legged bird, with brown mantle, black belly, chest, crown, nape and throat stripe; rest of the body bright white. Black bill and legs, and red eyes. They are named so because of the small claw or spur hidden in each wing.
Habitat:
Common resident in much of Sahel (northern part of sub-Saharan Africa), not so common in southern Africa; always found near water - I always observed it in pairs or a lone bird; while the literature claims it's usually seen in smaller groups or colonies. Here, on shores of lake Awassa, in marshy parts of this shallow freshwater (or slightly alkaline) lake
Notes:
Lake Awassa (or Hawassa) is a part of main Ethiopian Rift Valley series of lakes, situated at some 1700 m of altitude. Like most of Rift lakes in Ethiopian highlands, this is an endorreic lake (landlocked mass of water having no outlet and not connected to the sea), and as such surrounded by marshes that regulate its levels through evaporation. Because of marshes and its forested shores, the lake is known as birdwatcher's paradise - very rich with various waders. Unfortunately, many of these marshes, or at least those of an easy access to visitors are very polluted by plastic garbage - mainly plastic bottles and bags...
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