Vanellus armatus
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (Vanellus armatus) is a lapwing species that occurs commonly from Kenya through central Tanzania to southern and southwestern Africa. The vernacular name derives from the repeated metallic 'tink, tink, tink' alarm call, which suggests a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil.
Blacksmith lapwings are very boldly patterned in black, grey and white, possibly warning colours to predators. It is one of five lapwing species (two African, one Asian and two Neotropical) that share the characteristics of red eyes and a bold pied plumage, with a carpal (wing) spur adorning the wrist joint; a sharp black protrusion which they use to aggressively defend their young from potential threats, through persistent aerial dives typically targeting the head. The portions of the bird's body bare to plumage average a black coloration for the bill, and either a black or white-grey dappling on the legs. Females average larger and heavier but the sexes are generally alike.
The blacksmith lapwing occurs in association with wetlands of all sizes. Even very small damp areas caused by a spilling water trough can attract them.... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Réserve africaine de Sigean | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Honolulu Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Attica Zoological Park | 🇬🇷 Greece | |
| 10 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 12 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Le Cornelle | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 14 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 15 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 16 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Kobe Animal Kingdom | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 18 | Skærup Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 19 | El Jardí dels Ocells | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 20 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blacksmith Lapwing sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 196 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 145th most-seen of the 351 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March and May–June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blacksmith Lapwing in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blacksmith 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.
30th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Blacksmith Lapwing sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 30th at about 10%. The best odds are in Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 80%), Moremi Game Reserve (Botswana, about 80%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 80%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blacksmith Lapwing is recorded against all the birds logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (196 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.
