Vanellus chilensis
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis), commonly called quero-quero in Brazil, or tero in Argentina and Uruguay, tero-tero in Paraguay, and queltehue in Chile is a wader in the order Charadriiformes. It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions (e.g. most of the Amazon), the higher parts of the Andes, and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the basin of the Río de la Plata. It has also been spreading through Central America in recent years. It reached Trinidad in 1961, Tobago in 1974, and has rapidly increased on both islands, sporadically making its way North to Barbados where one pair mated, nested, and produced chicks in 2007.
This lapwing is the only crested wader in South America. It is 32 to 38 cm (13 to 15 in) in length and weighs approximately 250 to 425 g (8.8 to 15.0 oz). The upperparts are mainly brownish grey, with a bronze glossing on the shoulders. The head is particularly striking; mainly grey with a black forehead and throat patch extending onto the black breast. A white border separates the black of the face from the grey of the head and... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 6 | Cordoba | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Brasilia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Belém | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Terra Natura Benidorm | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 10 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Bird Park Steinen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Buttonwood Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Mississippi Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Parque Loro Sexi | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 16 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 17 | Acuario de Almuñécar | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | GüiráOga | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Lapwing sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Lapwing in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against about 10% in March, the lowest month. That is one of Caroni Swamp's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 25 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Lapwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
18th of 61
Of the 61 parks where we can rate Southern Lapwing sightings, Caroni Swamp ranks 18th at about 30%. The best odds are in Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 80%), Nahuel Huapi National Park (Argentina, about 60%) and Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Charadriidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Lapwing that you can see in Caroni Swamp (family Charadriidae, Plovers and Lapwings) are Semipalmated Plover (about 20%) and American Golden-Plover (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Lapwing is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (169 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
