Yellow-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus malabaricus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyCharadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
- GenusVanellus (Lapwings)
- SpeciesVanellus malabaricus (Yellow-wattled Lapwing)
The yellow-wattled lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus) is a lapwing that is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It is found mainly on the dry plains of peninsular India and has a sharp call and is capable of fast flight. Although they do not migrate, they are known to make seasonal movements in response to rains. They are dull grey brown with a black cap, yellow legs and a triangular wattle at the base of the beak. Like other lapwings and plovers, they are ground birds and their nest is a mere collection of tiny pebbles within which their well camouflaged eggs are laid. The chicks are nidifugous, leaving the nest shortly after hatching and following their parents to forage for food. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Minneriya National Park
Red-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus indicus
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Great Thick-knee
Esacus recurvirostris
Indian Thick-knee
Burhinus indicus
Barred Buttonquail
Turnix suscitator
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Yellow-wattled Lapwing at Minneriya National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
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 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 13 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 14 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |