White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)Where and when to see it in the UK
Passage migrant · reporting peaks September · Plovers and Lapwings · BOU category A
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
White-tailed Lapwing has been recorded in 19 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Passage migrant in the UK. Its strongest squares are in England and Wales. Reporting peaks in September.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 30% or more of visits
- High
- 17% to 30%
- Moderate
- 2% to 17%
- Low
- under 2%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15% | <1% | Moderate |
| February | 3% | <1% | Moderate |
| March | 34% | <1% | Moderate |
| April | 12% | <1% | Low |
| May | 19% | <1% | Low |
| June | 3% | <1% | Low |
| July | 4% | <1% | Low |
| August | 60% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 100% | <1% | Very high |
| October | 47% | <1% | Very high |
| November | 18% | <1% | High |
| December | 3% | <1% | Low |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in September
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE82 | East Riding of Yorkshire, England | 48% | Very high |
| SE72 | East Riding of Yorkshire, England | 31% | Very high |
| SD60 | Wigan, England | <1% | Insufficient records |
| SE70 | North Lincolnshire, England | <1% | Insufficient records |
| SE83 | East Riding of Yorkshire, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SJ39 | Liverpool, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SJ68 | Warrington, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SJ69 | Warrington, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SO70 | Gloucestershire, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SP09 | Birmingham, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |