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Little Ringed Plover
(Charadrius dubius)
Size: 14-17 cm; wing span 42-48 cm
Weight: 26-53 g
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Similar
species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Little Ringed Plovers are very small coastal waders.
When seen in Australia, they are usually, but not always, in
eclipse
plumage.
During the
non-breeding season they have an incomplete and mottled
black chest ring (which gives them their name), and a
mostly black head, except for the white frons and a white
ring between head and black chest ring, from the throat to
the nape of the neck. Their eye-rings are inconspicuous.
The grey-brown cap has a white edge separating it from the rest
of the black head. The upperparts (mantle, upperwings, tail) are
slate-grey, the underparts (lower chest, belly, vent) are white.
During the
breeding season the chest ring becomes wider, darker
and spans the width of the breast. The yellow eye-rings become
more conspicuous.
The bill is dark-grey to black; the legs and feet are pink.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared to other small species of plovers, the Little Ringed Plover is the
only one with orange legs and feet. In-flight, they are the only
small plovers that do not have conspicuous thin white wing bars.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Little
Ringed Plover at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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
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The global distribution of the Little Ringed Plover is available
HERE
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Little Ringed Plovers are a strongly migratory species that
breeds in most of Europe, parts of north-western Africa, in
Asia Minor, some locations on the coastline of the Middle
East and eastward into western, central and south-western Asia
and the Indian subcontinent.
While the majority of the population of Little Ringed Plovers will
spend the northern winters in Africa, southward of the Sahara desert,
a small number will migrate to northern Australia.
In Australia they are
occasionally found along the coastline, mostly of the northern
part of the continent. The race most likely to migrate to Australia is
"curonicus".
Outside the breeding season
Little Ringed Plovers have a preference for beaches with sand dunes and marshes. They are also regularly
found in sewage
treatment plants.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "curonicus"
B. Hensen reports spotting Little Ringed Plovers, race "curonicus", at the Leanyer
Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT (where they are annual visitors),
in October 2009, August 2012 and again in October 2018.
All photographic and sighting information presented
on this page has kindly been contributed by B. Hensen.
Race "dubius"
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Photos |
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Race "curonicus"
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ADULT |
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BREEDING |
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Lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in near-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, August 2012]
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NON-BREEDING |
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Frontal view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, October 2009]
Distant lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, October 2018]
Distant lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, October 2018]
Distant lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, October 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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
