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Senegal Lapwing
Vanellus lugubris
-18.7049, 34.3373
Field Notes
Description:
Very well camouflaged chickens. But despite being just a few days old, they already have the "walking characteristics" of their parents. This was a family of two adults and two chickens. The parents tried to get the small to walk by calling them, but they just walked a fem meters before they fell, or just lay down to rest a little bit.
Habitat:
Open habitat where the grass was recently burned off, and new sprouts grew after four days of rain.
Notes:
This species is an intra-African migrant that may undertake regular seasonal movements. It breeds in loosely colonial groups with several pairs scattered over a small area, the timing of breeding varying geographically. The species inhabits dry, open habitats such as lightly wooded savannas, open grassland with bushes and scrub, patches of burnt grass in Accacia spp. woodland and sparsely vegetated short grassland. It shows a strong preference for burnt grassland with newly sprouted grass especially if this is in the vicinity of water.
It can also be mentioned that the Black-winged Lapwing (Vanellus melanopterus) is very similar to the Senegal Lapwing. The two species can be separated when seen in flight, but also by their respective habitat preferences, the Senegal Lapwing preferring lower, mostly drier locations.
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