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Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) German name(s): "Flussregenpfeifer" Size: 15.5-18 cm; wing span 32-35 cm Body mass: 26-53 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.25-0.28

Europe: Family Group 9 Family Group 9 Table Red Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope Eurasian Stone-curlew Black-winged Stilt Pied Avocet Collared Pratincole Eurasian Oystercatcher Common Ringed Plover Little Ringed Plover Kentish Plover Grey Plover European Golden Plover Eurasian Dotterel Sociable Lapwing Northern Lapwing Spur-winged Lapwing Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Little Ringed Plovers are very small waders. When seen in Europe, they are usually in breeding 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 then 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. Males have black markings on the sides of the head; those of females are grey. The bill is dark-grey to black; the legs and feet are pink.

Taxonomy, classification See Little Ringed 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 Little Ringed Plover is available HERE . 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 Europe only Little Ringed Plovers of nominate race "dubius" are found as breeding migrants. With minor exceptions in southern central Europe, their breeding range spans the entire continent, except the northern parts of the British Isles and northern Scandinavia. Anywhere else southward of ca. 70 degrees geographical latitude, if not breeding, they can be found during their migration from and to Africa. During the breeding season Little Ringed Plovers have a strong preference for open areas near water, usually sandy or rocky surfaces or gravel, preferably near fresh water, rather than brackish or saline water. They are usually found near the water's edge and will also nest not far from water, in a scrape usually between rocks or pebbles.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "dubius" J. Pires reports spotting Little Ringed Plovers, nominate race "dubius", regularly during the breeding season around Mora, Evora, Portugal, and also in Castro Marim, Algarve, Portugal. In May 2020 J. Pires found a pair of Little Ringed Plovers, nominate race "dubius", nesting in Portugal. S. Cuturilov reports spotting a Little Ringed Plover, nominate race "dubius", near Kursumlija, South-east Serbia, in June 2016. Others were found by A. Sarok in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. G. Pinelas reports finding a Little Ringed Plover, nominate race "dubius", at Alges, Lisbon, Portugal, in May 2017. Race "curonicus" Little Ringed Plovers, race "curonicus", were spotted by us in Australia.

Photos

Race "dubius"

ADULT

BREEDING

MALE

Frontal view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Frontal view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Frontal view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage trying to impress a competitor
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2014]

Near-frontal view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage; note the black side of the head
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2014]

Near-lateral view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Alges, Lisbon, Portugal, May 2017]

Lateral view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2016]

Lateral view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2018]

Direct comparison between a male Little Ringed Plover and a male Kentish Plover, both in breeding plumage
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Alges, Lisbon, Portugal, May 2017]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage taking a bath (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Azud del Guadiana, Badajoz, Spain, July 2022]

Near-lateral view of a female Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage looking towards the observer; note the grey sides of the head
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2018]

Near-lateral view of a female Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage looking towards the observer; note the grey sides of the head (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2022]

Near-lateral view of a female Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage taking a bath (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Azud del Guadiana, Badajoz, Spain, July 2022]

Lateral view of a female Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Lateral view of a female Little Ringed Plover in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Near Kursumlija, South-east Serbia, June 2016]

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Dorsal view of a Little Ringed Plover moulting out of breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2025]

Frontal view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding plumage; note the buff hues on the side of the head
(photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Castro Marim, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Castro Marim, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Ringed Plover in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Castro Marim, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a Little Ringed Plover chick (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2018]

Lateral view of a Little Ringed Plover chick (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2018]

Race "curonicus"

Photos of Little Ringed Plovers, race "curonicus", were taken in Australia.

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr - Sep

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 22 - 28 days

Fledging age: Precocial

Little Ringed Plover chicks leave their nest at a very young age, soon after the last egg has hatched. They can fly at about 24-29 days of age. Little Ringed Plovers can have more than one brood per season and may engage helpers during the nesting period.

Nest building: Male?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Scrape

Material: Rocks, sand

Height above ground: N/A

Little Ringed Plover nest with four eggs in it (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Portugal, May 2020]

Male Little Ringed Plover working on a scrape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Male Little Ringed Plover working on a scrape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Male Little Ringed Plover working on a scrape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Eggs

Size: 31 x 22 mm

Colour: White, greyish-blue or creamy, with grey to black speckles

Shape: Long tapered oval

Little Ringed Plovers have the ability to adapt the base colour of their egg shells to the surrounding landscape for camouflage.

Closer look at 4 Little Ringed Plover eggs; note the adaptation of the colour of the eggs to the surrounding colours
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Portugal, May 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Pair/flock

The courtship of Little Ringed Plovers, and the defence of their territories, can be a noisy affair, but once nesting has started the species falls silent.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

lirplov_jp_20200519.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls(?)	© JP
lirplov_jp_20180703.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact call(?)	© JP
lirplov_jp_20220217.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls(?) (Q&A)	© JP

More Little Ringed Plover sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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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