Masked Lapwing
Masked Lapwing

Masked Lapwing

Vanellus miles

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
31 Verified records at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The masked lapwing (Vanellus miles) is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia (particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent), New Zealand and New Guinea. It spends most of its time on the ground searching for food such as insects and worms and has several distinctive calls. It is common in Australian fields, open land and where there is lots of water, and is known for its defensive swooping behaviour during the nesting season. Despite the species being also known as the masked plover and often called the spur-winged plover or just plover in its native range, lapwings are classified to their own subfamily, Vanellinae, and not to the closely related plover subfamily, Charadriinae. There are two subspecies, the nominate subspecies and the southern V. m. novaehollandiae. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Lapwing sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, based on 31 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park

Wrybill
VU Endemic

Wrybill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anarhynchus frontalis

5–10% · Rare
Black-fronted Tern
EN Endemic

Black-fronted Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias albostriatus

40–50% · Likely
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

10–20% · With luck
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
LC Endemic

South Island Pied Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus finschi

10–20% · With luck
Black-billed Gull
Endemic

Black-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus bulleri

5–10% · With luck
Black Stilt
CR Endemic

Black Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus novaezelandiae

5–10% · With luck
White-headed Stilt

White-headed Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus leucocephalus

Insufficient data
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

Insufficient data
Silver Gull
Endemic

Silver Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Insufficient data
White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Insufficient data
VOC
LC Endemic

VOC

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus unicolor

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
20–30
Mar
10–20
Apr
5–10
May
10–20
Jun
10–20
Jul
40–50
Aug
10–20
Sep
10–20
Oct
5–10
Nov
20–30
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
50–60%
2 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
40–50%
3 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
40–50%
4 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
30–40%
5 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
30–40%
6 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
7 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
20–30%
8 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
20–30%
9 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
10 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
11 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
12 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
13 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
14 Tongariro National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
15 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
16 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
17 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
18 Arthur's Pass National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
19 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
20 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
21 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
22 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
23 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
24 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%
25 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Masked Lapwing in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?

About 16% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Lapwing sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, based on 31 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Masked Lapwing in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Masked Lapwing in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in our monthly data.

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