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9

Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) Alternate name(s): "Mongolian Sand Plover", "Mongolian Plover", "Mongolian Dotterel" Size: 18-21 cm; wing span 49-58 cm Weight: 60-100 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Lesser Sand Plovers are small waders. Their plumage changes between breeding season and non-breeding season. During the breeding season the face is mostly black (forehead, sides), with a greyish-brown cap and a white throat. The wide chestnut breast band, which extends to the nape of the neck, has a very narrow black band at its upper edge. The belly and vent are white. The upperparts (mantle, tail and upperwings) are dark grey, with light-grey edge lining of the wing feathers. In eclipse the upperparts remain unchanged, except for the chestnut tint at the nape of the neck, which disappears with the breast bands. At the front, slate-grey side bars remain in place of the chest bands. The bill is black; the legs and feet are dark-grey. Twitcher's tip Compared to other small species of plovers, the Lesser Sand Plover has the most prominent side bars in its non-breeding plumage. In breeding plumage it has a narrow black band at the upper edge of its chestnut breast band. 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.

Taxonomy, classification See Lesser Sand Plover at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range 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 Lesser Sand Plover is available HERE . Currently there are 5 accepted races of Lesser Sand Plover, but they may need to be split up into 2 different species. Altogether, they breed above the treeline in the Himalayas and along parts of the bare coastal fringe of northern Asia. They spend the northern winters in eastern Africa, South Asia, South-east Asia and Australia. In Australia Lesser Sand Plovers are non-breeding migrants from the North. Mostly nominate race "mongolus" is migrates to Australia, but sometimes individuals of races "stegmanni" or "schaeferi" can be found. Lesser Sand Plovers populate almost the entire Australian seaboard, including the Coral Sea and Bass Strait, but excluding the Nullarbor. They are almost never found anywhere inland. Along the coast line, they can be found in various types of aquatic habitat, including e.g. beaches and also many offshore islands, including the entire coastline of Tasmania.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "mongolus" A small number of Lesser Sand Plovers, nominate race "mongolus", was first seen by us at Bundjalung NP, near Iluka, northern NSW, in February 2012. B. Hensen reports spotting Lesser Sand Plovers, race "mongolus", semi-regularly at both Lee Point and East Point, Darwin, NT. In August 2014 we found a few Lesser Sand Plovers, race "mongolus", in mudflats at East Point, Darwin, NT. M. Mearns reports spotting a Lesser Sand Plover, race "mongolus", on Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, in January 2016. M. Eaton reports spotting Lesser Sand Plovers, race "mongolus", at Nudgee Beach, QLD, in March 2018, and at Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, in March 2019. We have previously seen Lesser Sand Plovers in Oman.

Photos

Race "mongolus"

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Lesser Sandplover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, March 2019]

Frontal view of a male Lesser Sandplover in worn breeding plumage, centre, with other waders (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male Lesser Sandplover in breeding plumage; note the black on the forehead and around the eyes, plus the neat black fringe ontop of the breast band (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Nudgee Beach, QLD, March 2018]

Lateral view of a male Lesser Sandplover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, March 2019]

FEMALE

BREEDING

Lateral view of a female Lesser Sandplover in breeding plumage; note the grey around the eyes and the absence of a black fringe ontop of the breast band, which is scalloped, rather than neat rufous (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view a female Lesser Sand Plover (centre), with three Greater Sand Plovers, all in breeding plumage
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

"Assortment" of waders, with two (probably female) Lesser Sandplovers in near-breeding plumage (centre and front left), one Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage (front right), a second Ruddy Turnstone in non-breeding plumage (front centre), one Greater Sand Plover in breeding plumage (centre right) and a second Greater Sand Plover in non-breeding plumage (towards the back right); on the right and front right there are also two Red-necked Stints (the smallest birds in the photo) in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Lesser Sandplover in non-breeding plumage, second from the left, together with four Greater Sand Plovers, also in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, July 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Lesser Sand Plover in non-breeding plumage
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

Lateral view of a Lesser Sand Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, December 2015]

Lateral view of a Lesser Sand Plover in non-breeding plumage; this individual has an uncharacteristic complete breast band (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Deception Bay, QLD, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view a Lesser Sand Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Direct comparison of a Lesser Sand Plover, left, with a Greater Sand Plovers, right, caught for banding
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, November 2018]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Flock

Lesser Sand Plovers are often found together with Greater Sand Plovers.

Food, Diet

Lesser Sand Plovers feed on small invertebrates.

Male Lesser Sandplover in breeding plumage pulling a worm out of the sand (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Nudgee Beach, QLD, March 2018]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Mon, 1 April 2019, 7:28 +00:00