The Spur-winged Plover in Zimbabwe

A. Gollnisch (2013) observed a Spur-winged Plover (Vanellus spinosus) in Etosha National Park, Namibia on 4 December 2001 .  Though it was stated (loc. cit.) that there is only one other observation for southern Africa, in N Botswana in 1989, the record of one at Mahango Game Reserve, NE Namibia, in March–July 1999 (Sinclair, J.C. unpub. data) is cited in  Hockey et al. (2005, Roberts’ Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition).

In Zimbabwe the first record of this lapwing is from Ngamo Pan, Hwange National Park, during March–April 2004 (2 Johnson, C. (2004). First Zimbabwean record of Spur-winged Lapwing. Honeyguide. 50(2): 185–186. Close ).  The second record comes from the Zambezi River in September–October 2004 (1 Varden, J.G. (2005). Spur-winged Lapwing in Mana Pools National Park: a second sighting for Zimbabwe. Honeyguide. 51(1): 33–34. Close ). Both of these records are accepted in 3 Riddell, I.C. (2007). Changes to the Zimbabwean bird list since 19847. Honeyguide. 53(1–2): 41–52. Close . The third record has yet to be published but N. Hlongwane reported a single bird from the Hot Springs area of Rifa Camp, Hurungwe Safari Area on 17th August 2013, this being just upstream of Chirundu on the Zambezi River.