NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-headed Lapwing
Vanellus tectus (Boddaert, 1783)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black-headed lapwing or black-headed plover (Vanellus tectus) is a large lapwing, a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae. It is a resident breeder across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, although it has seasonal movements. It lays two or three eggs on a ground scrape.
These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are medium-large waders with a black head other than a white forehead, lower face and bands across the rear head and nape. There is a wispy black crest like northern lapwing and the bill and legs are red. The tail is white, tipped black.
In flight, the black-headed lapwing's upperwings have black flight feathers and brown coverts separated by a white bar. The underwings are white with black flight feathers.
This species is a common breeder in wet lowland habitats close to water. It often feeds in drier habitats, such as golf courses and grassy scrub, picking insects and other invertebrates from the ground.
The black-headed lapwing has a metallic tink-tink call.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-headed lapwing; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:43:04.987444+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Vanellus tectus (Boddaert, 1783)
- Name authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Common name
- Black-headed Lapwing
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Genus
- Vanellus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyCharadriidae Leach, 1820
- genusVanellus Brisson, 1760
- speciesVanellus tectus (Boddaert, 1783)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Vanellus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sociable LapwingVanellus gregarius (Pallas, 1771) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| River LapwingVanellus duvaucelii (R. Lesson, 1826) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crowned LapwingVanellus coronatus (Boddaert, 1783) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray-headed LapwingVanellus cinereus (Blyth, 1842) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern LapwingVanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-winged LapwingVanellus melanopterus (Cretzschmar, 1829) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spot-breasted LapwingVanellus melanocephalus (Rüppell, 1845) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus (Boddaert, 1783) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Javan LapwingVanellus macropterus (Wagler, 1827) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Senegal LapwingVanellus lugubris (R. Lesson, 1826) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CharadriidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176501 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:7FFJN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.