Its world population is estimated at 25,000 to 50,000 birds and like the White-crowned Lapwing, it is found on tropical rivers and swamps, but has been recorded near Windhoek and Walvis Bay. It occupies an area of 10,000 km2 in Namibia, of which 22% occurs in protected areas, including the Mahango area of the Bwabwata National Park, and the Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara (Mamili) national parks. It is commonly found on the Chobe River at an average density of 2.0 birds per 10 km of river. On the Zambezi River, it occurs at a density of 6.0 birds per 10 km. Up to 31 birds have been recorded in the Bwabwata National Park. Extrapolation to all the rivers where it is found (Zambezi, Chobe, Okavango and Kwando) gives an estimate of about 200 birds for Namibia, contributing about 0.4% to the world population.