Vanellus armatus
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Blacksmith Lapwing sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 258 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 257 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May, August and October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Blacksmith Lapwing in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, against about 20% in November, the lowest month. Those are among South Luangwa National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 310 mm in January.
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.
19th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Blacksmith Lapwing sightings, South Luangwa National Park ranks 19th at about 40%. 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.
Same genus: Vanellus
The closest relatives of the Blacksmith Lapwing that you can see in South Luangwa National Park (genus Vanellus, Lapwings) are White-headed Lapwing (about 70%), Crowned Lapwing (about 20%) and African Wattled Lapwing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blacksmith Lapwing is recorded against all the birds logged in South Luangwa National Park (258 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.
