Northern Lapwing vs Spur-winged Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus compared with Vanellus spinosus

Key Differences

• Northern Lapwing is Endangered while Spur-winged Lapwing is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Lapwing	Spur-winged Lapwing
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family same	Charadriidae	Charadriidae
Genus same	Vanellus	Vanellus
Species	Vanellus vanellus	Vanellus spinosus

Evolutionary Relationship

Northern Lapwing and Spur-winged Lapwing share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Vanellus.

Conservation Status

Northern Lapwing

EN — Endangered

Spur-winged Lapwing

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Lapwing	Spur-winged Lapwing
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Lapwing

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Spur-winged Lapwing

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries).

Northern Lapwing

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Spur-winged Lapwing

Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden