The blacksmith lapwing or blacksmith plover (Vanellus armatus)
This bird I knew as a plover, yet someone decided it should become a lapwing… now I have searched high and low and cannot find a decent answer as to why it has become a Lapwing…
So, any one out there that wishes to help me with a definitive answer, please feel free to do so…
This little guy I know as the Blacksmith Plover was not in the least concerned about what I called him. He told me so… he said “Plover; Lapwing, who gives a damn, so long as I remain a blacksmith man” so until I have an explanation… he remains a plover….
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
Fascinating birds, I really like the color markings.
Thanks Charlie…
I love a “two-tone” Plover…or Lapwing. I know Plovers, but I’ve never seen one with such distinctive coloring. Very nice! I’d like to know more about the name change, too! Interesting. 🙂
I have searched high and wide and apart from the two families apparently being the same… I cannot find another explanation for the change….
Your Blacksmith Plover looks like the elusive Cow Bird.
Now that’s a bird I do not know…
Our plovers are brownish/grey. These little black and white ones we call Peewee’s (now I’ve probably added confusion to the post) 😉
Peewee’s….?? That I’ve never heard before. …
Could also be a mud lark or magpie lark 😀
No it is fairly far from the lark family
Such a pretty bird, but I always thought a plover and a lapwing were two different kinds. You’ve got me thinking now…
Yep Sherri… now it seems my plover has become a lapwing…
I think you must be an all-purpose “animal whisperer.” You get so close to wildlife it blows my mind!
ps. All the taxonomy changes drive me nuts, too! Every few months someone decides to reclassify something!
You know then… I’ve given up on the plants now… they change so often I can’t keep up…
Does the Blackwing Plover know that he has a purple shadow?
I think he does… a result of dirty water….
Lovely photos! LOve the reflections on the water.
Thank you very much
Beautiful captures, bulldog. At least he spoke English. 🙂
Thanks Sylvia… yep I’d have got a fright if he spoke any other language….
The first one has a cool reflection of the bird in the water.
Thanks Genie
A pinto bird! No horse laughs, great shots of a bird I hadn’t seen before
Thank you…
I’m amazed at how many different species of birds there are. Golly, Rob, I must be tired. I can’t think of a wise ass remark to follow. I’m worried.
I’m gobsmacked… you must be tired…
Very interesting bird. Love the reflelctions.
Thank you…
Our plover pales in comparison to this little guy! 🙂
They all have a beauty of their own…
What an interesting and lovely bird! Great captures too! 🙂
Thanks Jewels…
We have plovers too but not like these!
Hope they don’t have a name change. ..
Blacksmith? Where is his little anvil and hammer then?
At his workshop
Some animals just get more than one name I think, depending on what region you’re in… Recently had the same issue when someone said they took a picture of a mountain lion, but it was black so probably a puma. So I googled it and apparently, mountain lion, puma, cougar and sometimes even Leopard refer to same animal!
Love your photos bulldog!
Diana xo
I do agree a cougar, puma and mountain lion are all one and the same (Puma concolor)….Black panthers in Asia and Africa are leopards (Panthera pardus). Black panthers in the Americas are black jaguars (Panthera onca)…. this poor bird was known by the same latin name so many years ago… now the lapwing is in and plover is out, but the latin name is the same…. not fair if you ask me…. poor bird… imagine if they decided you were no longer Diana and were now to be known as Pinky..??? I’d protest on your behalf. …
Yes, Pinky wouldn’t work for me LOL!
No only does he not give a damn about the name, he doesn’t give a damn about your presence. The color combinations of South African birds continues to amaze me as they are so different than from ours.
Thanks Frank, and here I’m thinking the Americas birds are more colourful than ours
Now that’s funny!
He’s a very handsome fellow – I love his markings. I also love the way you stick to your guns about his name :).
I hate the way they keep changing the names…
Pavoncella o piviere rimane sempre un bell’uccello e tu lo hai fotografato stupendamente.
Ciao, un caro saluto.
Pat
Thanks Pat …
Lapwing or plover he/she takes a good photo. I wonder how many different birds you have photographed?
Thanks Brian…. interesting question, I just went over to my lists… we have 967 countable birds in South Africa, which extends to 200 km off shore (not sure I’ll ever get to photo or see some of the albatrosses or the likes) … I have positively ID 453 of those countable and believe it photographed…. Ta da…. drum roll… 367 of them…. so to reach my goal of 90% I still have a long way to go…. should keep me busy till too old to do it any more….
Is the dark blue blob behind the bird the shadow and the reflection in front? Where was the sun?
Almost directly above
He’s lovely but as he doesn’t visit these shores I couldn’t say his name.
Thanks …
Beautiful markings. So – all I can tell you is it comes from the Lapwing subfamily….. Google is my friend 🙂
When I collected my first Plover birds eggs in 1958, our only Google was the the Roberts Bird Book, there it referred to it as a plover with no reference to a lapwing…. no lapwing family etc… it is only recently that it has been included in the lapwing family, to the extent that the new books refer to them as Blacksmith Lapwings…. I hate that, in ’58 it was a plover …
I want things to stay the same…. I want to be that young boy again as well, just with the knowledge I have now…. lol
fabulous shots as always!
Thanks Cindy…