Long-toed Plover

Vanellus crassirostris

Other Names

  Long-toed Lapwing, White-winged Plover, White-faced Plover   Vanneau à ailes blanches   Langzehenkiebitz   Avefría Palustre     Langteenkievit   Pavoncella becco grosso

World: Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.

Kenya: Locally common on permanent wetlands and found predominantly to the west of the Rift Valley around Lake Victoria but also recorded at Amboseli, Lake Jipe, several of the Rift Valley lakes and the lower Tana River area. It may be that the range is gradually expanding eastwards.

Also known as the Long-toed Lapwing this is a bird of lakes, ponds and marshes with floating vegetation. They have a similar habit to the African Jacana, walking across lilies and other water-plants in order to forage for insects, invertebrates and small crustaceans. It's quite often found around the swamps at Amboseli, the causeway there is usually a good place to stop and look for it.