The crowned plover (Vanellus coronatus), or crowned lapwing, has very distinctive horizontal black and white bands surrounding its crown. It is found in Africa from Ethiopia in the north to South Africa in the south and east to Kenya. Crowned plover / lapwings prefer short, dry grassland which may be overgrazed or burnt, but avoid mountains. In higher-rainfall areas such as parts of Zambia and Zimbabwe, they occur mainly as dry-season visitors. In dry regions of northern Botswana, however, they are attracted in large numbers when good rainfall occurs. In southern Africa their highest concentrations are to be found in the dry central Kalahari region.
