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Grey Plovers are relatively small waders. Their plumage is highly cryptic. When seen in Australia, they are usually, but not always, in eclipse plumage. During the non-breeding season the sides of the head are off-white, with wide greyish-brown eye stripes. The throat is off-white, while the sides and nape of the neck and the chest are off-white with grey-brown streaks. The belly, vent and undertail coverts are white. During the breeding season their front (face below the eyes, front and sides of the neck, chest, belly and vent) is all-black, with white lining from the forehead via the eyebrow along the sides to the front of the wings. The back (cap, nape of the neck, mantle upperwings and uppertail) remains mottled grey and black. The bill is dull black; the legs and feet are dark-grey.

Twitcher's tip

In Australia, Grey Plovers are usually only seen in non-breeding or transitional plumage. Compared to Pacific Golden Plovers their back appears darker, more grey and the contrast between back and front is greater. Their body is bulkier, the head larger and the neck shorter than those of Pacific Golden Plovers.

The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and related families or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Grey Plover is available HERE .

Grey Plovers are a global, highly migratory species which, when not breeding, can be found along the coastlines of all continents, except Antarctica. They are also found inland in central North America and large parts of Eurasia. Their breeding grounds are located in the Arctic regions of the northern continents.

Grey Plovers are non-breeding migrants to Australia from the North. In Australia they can be found anywhere along the coastline, except the Nullarbor in SA and the northern NSW coastline, from Sydney to the QLD border. Occasionally they can also be found inland, in the Murray-Darling Basin or in the Lake Eyre Basin.

Grey Plovers are mostly found around saltwater and brackish water, e.g. along beaches and in mangrove marshes and mudflat. They are only rarely found around fresh water.

B. Hensen reports spotting Grey Plovers at Lee Point, Darwin, NT, in March 2013, in August 2013 and again in December 2015 and in November 2018. P. Brown found the species at the same location in February 2020.

J. Greaves reports spotting a Grey Plover at Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017.

M. Eaton found a Grey Plover at Buffalo Creek beach, Darwin, NT, in July 2020.