The Crowned Lapwing prefers dry, open habitats, either with or without scattered trees, in southern and eastern Africa, as far north as Somalia and Ethiopia. It occurs throughout southern Africa, apart from the most arid areas of southern Namibia and the Northern Cape, most of Lesotho and the contiguous area of the Eastern Cape, and parts of southern Mozambique. It has benefited from the habitat impacts of both affluent and poor communities; golf courses, sports fields and airports, on one hand, and overgrazing on the other. In some areas, the presence of Crowned Plovers is an indicator of mismanagement of ranchlands. In South Africa Crowned Plovers move locally in response to changing conditions.
Crowned Plovers, like many of the wader species breeding in South Afria, have a long breeding season, often starting in August and ending in May. In addition, a pair may have more than one successful breeding attempt. If nests or chicks are lost, further attempts to breed may occur. They lay two eggs in a scrape in the sand, lined with vegetation or small pebbles. The eggs take about a month to hatch and the chicks between four and five weeks to fledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment