Hoploxypterus cayanus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The pied plover (Hoploxypterus cayanus), also known as the pied lapwing, is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It is a bird of least concern according to the IUCN and can be found in northern South America. The species name cayanus refers to Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, where the pied plover can be found.
There is confusion around its common name. Historically, the pied plover was considered to be a plover, which is a bird part of the subfamily Charadriinae. Most recently, it has been moved to the subfamily Vanellinae, which are the lapwings. The pied plover is still referred to as a plover because it physically resembles that group of birds in shape and size. However, based on taxonomy, it is more correct to refer to it as a lapwing.
The pied plover belongs to the order Charadriiformes known as the shorebirds. It is placed within the family Charadriidae and is the only species placed in the genus Hoploxypterus that was introduced in 1856 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The pied plover was formerly placed in the genus Vanellus but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that it is not closely related to the other lapwings.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Pied Lapwing sighting in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, based on 1,379 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 27th most-seen of the 308 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Pied Lapwing in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, against about 40% in November and December, the lowest months. That is one of Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 190 mm in January. January to April have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pied 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.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Pied Lapwing sightings, Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 10%) and Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pied Lapwing is recorded against all the birds logged in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (1,379 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.
