The Andean lapwing (''Vanellus resplendens'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in family Charadriidae, the plovers and their relatives. It is found in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The Andean lapwing was originally described as ''Charadrius resplendens'' and has sometimes been placed in genus ''Ptiloscelys''. It is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

Description

The Andean lapwing is about long and weighs . The sexes are alike and have no seasonal changes in plumage. Adults have a creamy gray head and neck with a dark brownish gray patch around the eye. Their upperparts are bronzy green with a purple patch on the wing

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are small feathers behind t ...

. Their breast is dark gray and their belly white. Their bill is pinkish orange with a black tip, their eye is reddish, and their legs are also reddish. Juveniles have a brownish head and neck, buff mottling on the breast, and pale buff fringes on the upperparts feathers.

Distribution and habitat

The Andean lapwing is found in the Andes from southwestern Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia into northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. It inhabits a variety of open landscapes including ''

páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

'' and '' puna'', shore meadows, and open parts of marshes. It is usually found near lakes or rivers but shuns saline waters. In general it ranges between of elevation but is found as high as in Chile and as low as in the southern parts of its range. It occasionally reaches the coast during the austral winter.

Behavior

Movement

The Andean lapwing is essentially resident in most of its range but moves to lower elevations during the austral winter.

Feeding

Nothing is known about the Andean lapwing's foraging techniques or its diet.

Breeding

The Andean lapwing's breeding season is mostly between October and December though occasionally it may extend to February. One nest was a depression in the ground lined with plant material including lichens. The clutch size is three or four. The incubation period and time to fledging are not known.

Vocalization

Like most lapwings, the Andean is noisy. " ually heard are a sharp 'wik' in alarm, a harsh 'criee-criee-cri' call, a staccato 'cwi-cwi-cwi...' or more mellow and melodic 'dididi---celeec-celeec-celeec-ce...'." It also makes "a soft querulous 'cow' note...or a low, tremulous 'kwiwiwiwirrr'."

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has assessed the Andean lapwing as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, and its estimated population of under 6700 mature individuals is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. "Occupation of bleak high-altitude habitats with relatively low densities of humans suggests hat thespecies is probably secure at present."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q249290 Andean lapwing Birds of the Andes Birds of the Puna grassland Andean lapwing Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Johann Jakob von Tschudi