Page 176 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Charadriidae Species Pluvialis apricaria
Golden Plover pale stripe small head
over eye short bill
buff-yellow spots
on brown-black
back
white
ADULT (SUMMER) pale yellow, white,
wingbar
yellow and black
on breast spangled
upperparts
white
dark belly
rump
ADULT (WINTER)
white along
white belly sides of
ADULT
white (WINTER) black belly
underwings
ADULT
ADULT (SUMMER) (SUMMER)
IN FLIGHT
his is a medium-sized plover, beautifully patterned in
Tsummer and showing delicate and complex colouring
in winter. Golden Plovers often mix in fields with Lapwings,
separating out in flight; they do not usually mix with other waders,
which the Grey Plover does on the coast. Golden Plovers have
traditional migration and wintering areas that may be used for
decades, so long as the habitat is not damaged. FLIGHT: fast, straight, often high.
VOICE Plaintive, whistled
tleee, higher tlee, treeoleee, SUBSPECIES
and variants; phee-oo,
pheee-oo in song-flight. bolder black
face and
NESTING Shallow scrape, breast
lined with scraps of lichen white
and heather, on ground in band
heather, grass, or bilberry, P. a. altifrons
often in burned areas; (N Europe)
4 eggs; 1 brood;April–July. OCCURRENCE
FEEDING Takes variety of HIGH-FLYING FLOCK Breeds in N Europe, on high
insects in summer, mostly Flocks of Golden Plovers often fly moorland or northern tundra,
earthworms in winter, high, stringing out into long lines both on limestone grassland and
often stolen by gulls. or in irregular packs. acid heath with patches of burnt
heather or bilberry. Widespread in
SIMILAR SPECIES winter on low-lying arable fields
and pastures, coastal salt marsh,
silvery grey sometimes on estuary mud.
above
Seen in the UK
J F M A M JJ A S O N D
blacker
below
GREY PLOVER RESTING FLOCK
summer, When feeding, flocks spread
similar to adult evenly over fields, tightening into
summer; see p.172
packs if alarmed or roosting.
Length 26–29cm (10–11 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 67–76cm (26–30in) Weight 140–250g (5–9oz)
Social Winter flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Secure
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