The Spot-breasted Lapwing lives in damp grassland and marshes in the Ethiopian highlands. Black spots on the breast and yellow wattles are notable features.
It has a black crown and throat, a white eyebrow, a spotted black breast, and a white belly. The sexes look similar.
It forages in damp grassland, marshes, and streamside areas, running and then pausing to inspect the ground. Groups may form outside the breeding season.
Eleven nests studied at Menz-Guassa, Ethiopia, in July 2023 were on flat, open rocky ground with short grass. They were shallow scrapes lined mainly with dry roots and stems of Festuca grasses.
In the same Menz-Guassa study, eggs ranged from dusty white to olive-brown, with dark brown or blackish spots. Their pointed ends faced the centre of the nest.
It has small yellow wattles around the eyes and yellow legs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.