Mo Ganji: Sociable Lapwing | Steppenkiebitz | Vanellus gregarius | No. 206/250 from work group 8/99

Mo Ganji draws the sociable lapwing — a migratory wader adapted to open steppe and semi-arid grasslands — into a field of concentration where essence precedes movement or flock behavior. The single line gathers the being into a reduced coherence, setting aside flight patterns, seasonal travel and visibility so that presence can surface without narrative. In Ganji’s understanding, the line is not fixed to the bird alone; it remains open, reminding us that every figure is also a conceptual framing temporarily assigned.

Vanellus gregarius is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Once breeding across vast areas of the Eurasian steppe, the species has undergone dramatic declines and now nests primarily in parts of Kazakhstan. During migration, it follows long routes to wintering grounds in the Middle East, eastern Africa and South Asia, exposing it to threats across multiple regions.

The principal threats include habitat loss on breeding grounds due to agricultural intensification, disturbance and hunting along migration routes, and the degradation of wintering habitats. Because the sociable lapwing depends on open landscapes with low vegetation and predictable seasonal conditions, changes in land use and climate disrupt both breeding success and migration timing.

Ganji’s single line opens a space in which the bird can be encountered beyond movement or sociability. It allows attention to rest on a life shaped by continuity across distant places, suggesting how survival falters when the long connections between landscapes are broken into isolated fragments that no longer align.