Crowned Lapwing
Crowned LapwingCrowned LapwingCrowned Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing

Vanellus coronatus

Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Masai Mara National Reserve
2,250 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
17,814 Verified sightings across all 48 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Crowned Lapwing

The crowned lapwing (Vanellus coronatus), crowned plover or kiewiet (in South African English), is a bird of the lapwing subfamily that occurs contiguously from the Red Sea coast of Somalia to southern and southwestern Africa. It is an adaptable and numerous species, with bold and noisy habits. It is related to the more localized black-winged and Senegal lapwings, with which it shares some plumage characteristics.

The crowned lapwing was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1781 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in the Cape of Good Hope region of South Africa. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Charadrius coronatus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The crowned lapwing is now placed in the genus Vanellus that was erected by the French zoologist... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Masai Mara National Reserve

African Wattled Lapwing
LC

African Wattled Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus senegallus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Spur-winged Lapwing
LC

Spur-winged Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus spinosus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Black-winged Lapwing
LC

Black-winged Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus melanopterus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Senegal Lapwing
LC

Senegal Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus lugubris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Long-toed Lapwing
LC

Long-toed Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus crassirostris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Caspian Plover
LC

Caspian Plover

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Charadrius asiaticus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Ringed Plover
LC

Common Ringed Plover

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Charadrius hiaticula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Temminck's Courser
LC

Temminck's Courser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cursorius temminckii

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Common Sandpiper
LC

Common Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
African Jacana
LC

African Jacana

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actophilornis africanus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
2 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~60%
3 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
4 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
5 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~40%
6 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
7 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
8 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
9 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
10 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
11 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
12 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
13 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
14 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
15 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
16 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
17 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
18 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
19 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
20 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
21 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~20%
22 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
23 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
24 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~20%
25 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
26 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
27 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
28 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
29 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
30 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
31 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
32 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
33 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
34 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
35 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
36 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
37 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
39 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
40 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
41 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
42 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
43 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
44 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
45 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
46 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
47 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
48 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Crowned Lapwing in Masai Mara National Reserve?

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Crowned Lapwing sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 2,250 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Crowned Lapwing in Masai Mara National Reserve?

November has the highest sighting rate for Crowned Lapwing in Masai Mara National Reserve in our monthly data.

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