# Blacksmith Lapwing

*Vanellus armatus*

Its common name comes from its alarm call, which sounds like a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Charadriidae › Vanellus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Freshwater wetlands, lake shores, damp grasslands, and man-made dams.
- **Diet:** Insects, worms, and small aquatic invertebrates.
- **Range:** South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania
- **Size:** 30 cm in length with a weight of approximately 160 grams.
- **Lifespan:** 10-15 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Water pollution and drainage of seasonal pans, though it adapts well to human-modified landscapes.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless but highly vocal and territorial. If the bird begins dive-bombing or calling loudly, you are likely near a nest; back away slowly to avoid causing it stress.

## About

The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover ( Vanellus armatus ) 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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f049b84a-250a-4c7a-be9c-beceef5c1b43
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4870
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanellus armatus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/126909977/medium.jpeg (linkie, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.