Editing Sociable lapwing (section)

== Status==
[[File: Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) (8079444215).jpg|thumb|left|breeding individuals in [[Kazakhstan]]]]

The sociable lapwing’s population had always been difficult to quantify. It was estimated that the population has always been in decline, and especially following a major crash towards the end of the 20th century, leaving the current population at only 20-25% of its historical count.<ref name=BirdLifeFactsheet/>

The estimated population count was enhanced following decades long studies and, in October 2007, a superflock of approximately 3,200 sociable lapwings were discovered in Turkey, according to Guven Eken, director of the Turkish Nature Association.<ref name=npr/> Additionally, 1500 sociable lapwings were found overwintering in Syria.<ref name=BirdLife/> The population is currently estimated to sit at 17 thousand individuals, and there was a reported increase in nests each year leading up to 2007, however it is difficult to determine whether this was an increase or simply more nests being found as a result of intensified fieldwork.<ref name=BirdLifeFactsheet/> The range of the sociable lapwing has heavily contracted as it has once existed from Ukraine to China.

The fieldwork undergone that led to the discoveries of thousands of sociable lapwings had led to the population being much larger than once feared, however it was also discovered adults have low survival rates, and the population is projected to decline at a similar or accelerated rate. The reasons for the crash of the population are largely unknown, but hunting along migratory flyways have been attributed as a notable threat at the very least.<ref name=BirdLifeFactsheet/>