Andean lapwing

The Andean lapwing was originally described as Charadrius resplendens and has sometimes been placed in genus Ptiloscelys.[2] It is monotypic.[3]

The Andean lapwing is about 33 cm (13 in) long and weighs 193 to 230 g (6.8 to 8.1 oz). 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. 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.[5]

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 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 2,700 and 4,600 m (8,900 and 15,100 ft) of elevation but is found as high as 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in Chile and as low as 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in the southern parts of its range. It occasionally reaches the coast during the austral winter.[5]

The IUCN 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.[1] "Occupation of bleak high-altitude habitats with relatively low densities of humans suggests [that the] species is probably secure at present."[5]