Friday, July 25, 2014

Blacksmith Plover

The blacksmith plover, also known as the blacksmith lapwing, is an African bird found from central Kenya, and central Tanzania, on the east side, and central Angola on the west side, down to Capetown. It is all black, white and gray. 
Blacksmith plover in Ngorongoro Crater. Photo by Esmee Tooke.
It has a white crown, hind-neck and belly and is white in the area under its wings. 
A sacred ibis with two blacksmith plovers behind it. Photo by Esmee Tooke.
It has a black bill, legs, nape, face, fore-neck, chest, back, tip of the tail and portion of the wings and gray on a large portion of its wings. 


It also has red eyes. The name comes from its alarm call, which is a metallic sounding "tink, tink, tink," like a blacksmith's hammer striking an anvil. They are found in areas of wetlands. I got pictures of them in Ngorongoro Crater and in the Serengeti and we may have seen them elsewhere as well. Unfortunately, my pictures are not of great quality.  

2 comments:

  1. Very dapper. An elegant bird.

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  2. He almost looks like our local crows, if it weren't for those lanky legs.

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