Common Ringed Plover

Overview

The common ringed plover, also known as the great ringed plover or ringed plover, is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It breeds across much of northern Eurasia and in Greenland.

Identification

• Size: 17–19.5 cm in length with a 35–41 cm wingspan.
• Plumage: Grey-brown back and wings, white belly and breast with one black neckband, brown cap, white forehead, and a black mask around the eyes.
• Bill and Legs: Short orange and black bill; orange legs with only the outer two toes slightly webbed.
• Juveniles: Duller in colour than adults, often with an incomplete grey-brown breast band, a dark bill, and dull yellowish-grey legs.

Habitat

Breeds on open ground on beaches or flats across northern Eurosiberia and in Arctic northeast Canada, often in low coastal plains or cold uplands with sparse vegetation. It is migratory, wintering in coastal areas south to Africa, though many birds in Great Britain and northern France are resident throughout the year.

Diet

Forages on beaches, tidal flats, and fields, usually by sight, for insects, crustaceans, and worms. It forages both by day and by night and sometimes uses foot-trembling to reveal the location of prey.

Did you know?

If a potential predator approaches the nest, the adult will walk away from the scrape, calling to attract the intruder and feigning a broken wing.