Blacksmith lapwing

Vanellus armatus

The Blacksmith lapwing (Vanellus armatus) is a bird found in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Botswana. Wet grass and the edges of ponds in southern and eastern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Vanellus armatus
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Botswana

🏡 Where the Blacksmith lapwing lives

Wet grass and the edges of ponds in southern and eastern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 Its call sounds like a blacksmith hammering metal, which is how it got its name.

Hear the Blacksmith lapwing

Recorded by African Bioacoustics Community (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1148403. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Blacksmith lapwing

Where does the Blacksmith lapwing live?

The Blacksmith lapwing lives in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Botswana. Wet grass and the edges of ponds in southern and eastern Africa.

What does the Blacksmith lapwing eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Blacksmith lapwing endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.