Andean Lapwing Vanellus resplendens Scientific name definitions

The Andean Lapwing is a beautiful plover of high elevations in the Andes from southern Colombia south to northern Chile and Argentina.  The species has a coppery green back, gray hood separated from a white belly with a thin black line, a pinkish orange bill with a black tip, and reddish irides and legs.  Andean Lapwings are found around high altitude lakes, rivers, and in agricultural land, primarily above 3,000 meters.  Conspicuous visually in their open habitats, these lapwings also act as sentinels of the altiplano, giving loud, ringing calls whenever there is a disturbance nearby - as such, they (like most lapwings) are rather easy to find when birding within their range.

c. 33 cm; 193–230 g (1 Navas, J. R., and Camperi, A. R. (2006). Discoveries and Comments on the Distribution of Some Species of Birds from Northwest Argentina. II. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n.s. 8(1):105–109. (In Spanish with English summary). Close ). Creamy-grey head with dark brownish-grey eye-patch, bronzy-green upperparts , purple patch  on wing-coverts , and dark grey breast  ending in sharp grey line; small red carpal spurs. Sexes alike. No seasonal variation. Juvenile like adult, but has brownish head and neck, breast mottled buff; pale buff fringes and dark green subterminal lines to feathers of upperparts.

Andes from SW Colombia (Cauca) to N Chile (Antofagasta) and NW Argentina (Catamarca).

Breeds in open grassy areas , shore meadows, open parts of marshes, rushy pasture and boggy terrain of páramo and puna zones in Andes, at altitudes of 2700–4600 m (1 Navas, J. R., and Camperi, A. R. (2006). Discoveries and Comments on the Distribution of Some Species of Birds from Northwest Argentina. II. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n.s. 8(1):105–109. (In Spanish with English summary). Close , 2 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O’Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ) and to 5000 m in Chile (3 Jaramillo, A. (2003). A Field Guide to the Birds of Chile Including the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), usually near lakes or rivers and often on partly inundated and hummocky ground; avoids saline water; sometimes in short grass of dry fields and hillsides. In southernmost portion of range, occurs down to 1500 m. During austral winter, found at lower altitudes and occasionally on coast.

Essentially resident, with only altitudinal migration, birds descending slopes during austral winter (May–Oct in coastal and, more exceptionally S Amazonian, Peru (2 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O’Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ), and May–Jul in coastal Ecuador (4 Ágreda, A. E., R. W. Villón, and B. J. Suárez Montenegro (2013) Noteworthy bird records from the Santa Elena Peninsula and coastal south-west Ecuador. Cotinga. 35: 99–101. Close ), with one record in Feb–Jun in Amazonian Ecuador) (5 Ridgely, R. S., and P. J. Greenfield (2001). The Birds of Ecuador. Volumes 1–2. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, New York, USA. Close ).

Generally noisy. Occasionally given is a soft querulous “cow” note with a tern-like quality, or a low, tremulous “kwiwiwiwirrr”, but more usually heard are a sharp “wik” in alarm, a harsh “criee-criee-cri” call, a staccato “cwi-cwi-cwi...” or more mellow and melodic “dididi---celeec-celeec-celeec-ce...”, all of which may be repeated rapidly and noisily, both by single birds or groups of individuals; calls considered to be similar to those of Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus mexicanus).

Eggs found mainly Oct–Dec, occasionally Jan or Feb (6 Salvador, S.A. (1992). Notas sobre nidificación de aves andinas en la Argentina. Parte II. Hornero. 13(3): 242–244. Close ). One nest on barren ground was lined with plant material, a depression in the ground 10 cm wide and 3·5 cm deep, sparsely lined with vegetable matter including lichens (6 Salvador, S.A. (1992). Notas sobre nidificación de aves andinas en la Argentina. Parte II. Hornero. 13(3): 242–244. Close ). Clutch three or four eggs (n = 5 nests), similar in colour and markings to those of V. chilensis, size 45·1–47·5 mm × 33·1–34·5 mm, mass 25·2–27·8 g (6 Salvador, S.A. (1992). Notas sobre nidificación de aves andinas en la Argentina. Parte II. Hornero. 13(3): 242–244. Close ); chick mottled buff and black above, with thin, incomplete black demarcations of white nape (overall paler buff than V. chilensis). No further information available.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). No population estimates available. Locally very common at 3000–4500 m, but also rather localized, e.g. in Ecuador (5 Ridgely, R. S., and P. J. Greenfield (2001). The Birds of Ecuador. Volumes 1–2. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, New York, USA. Close ). Occupation of bleak high-altitude habitats with relatively low densities of humans suggests species is probably secure at present.