Common ringed plover
Taken beside the River Orwell at Shotley, Suffolk.
The common ringed plover was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th. edition of his Systema Naturae.
It is a small, dumpy, short-legged wading bird, Adults are 6.7 to 7.7 in. 17 to 19.5 cm) in length with a 14 to 16 in. (35 to 41 cm) wingspan. They weigh 2.25 oz. (64g).
They have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes and a short orange and black bill. The legs are orange and only the outer two toes are slightly webbed. Juvenile are duller than the adults in colour, with an often incomplete grey-brown breast band, a dark bill and dull yellowish-grey legs.
They are commonly found both in low coastal plains and in cold uplands with sparse vegetation, in open habitats with little or no plant cover, where they nest on the ground.
Common ringed plovers are migratory. Birds from Europe winter in Britain, and birds from Greenland and Canada pass through Britain on migration to coastal areas south to Africa. Many birds in Britain and northern France are resident throughout the year.
These birds forage for food on beaches, tidal flats and fields, usually by sight. They eat insects, crustaceans and worms and forage both by day and by night. They sometimes use foot-trembling to reveal the location of prey.
Common ringed plovers are solitary nesters and are territorial. Egg laying generally begins in May but the date varies depending on the region. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with pebbles and pieces of vegetation. The clutch is of 3 to 4 eggs, which are speckled to look like pebbles and blend into the surrounding sand and shingle. This makes them hard for predators to spot, but also vulnerable to being trampled underfoot. The eggs are laid at intervals of 1 to 3 days and are incubated by both parents. They hatch after 21 to 27 days. The downy chicks are grey-buff mottled with cinnamon-buff above and white below. The young are cared for by both parents and can feed themselves. While small they are brooded at night and in bad weather. They fledge when aged around 24 days. A chick can expect an average lifespan of 5 years. 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.
The UK population of breeding birds is 5,450+ pairs and the
UK wintering population is 42,500 birds.
The common ringer plover has an extremely large range with a large population size and is therefore evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be of 'Least Concern'.
Common ringed plover
Taken beside the River Orwell at Shotley, Suffolk.
The common ringed plover was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th. edition of his Systema Naturae.
It is a small, dumpy, short-legged wading bird, Adults are 6.7 to 7.7 in. 17 to 19.5 cm) in length with a 14 to 16 in. (35 to 41 cm) wingspan. They weigh 2.25 oz. (64g).
They have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes and a short orange and black bill. The legs are orange and only the outer two toes are slightly webbed. Juvenile are duller than the adults in colour, with an often incomplete grey-brown breast band, a dark bill and dull yellowish-grey legs.
They are commonly found both in low coastal plains and in cold uplands with sparse vegetation, in open habitats with little or no plant cover, where they nest on the ground.
Common ringed plovers are migratory. Birds from Europe winter in Britain, and birds from Greenland and Canada pass through Britain on migration to coastal areas south to Africa. Many birds in Britain and northern France are resident throughout the year.
These birds forage for food on beaches, tidal flats and fields, usually by sight. They eat insects, crustaceans and worms and forage both by day and by night. They sometimes use foot-trembling to reveal the location of prey.
Common ringed plovers are solitary nesters and are territorial. Egg laying generally begins in May but the date varies depending on the region. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with pebbles and pieces of vegetation. The clutch is of 3 to 4 eggs, which are speckled to look like pebbles and blend into the surrounding sand and shingle. This makes them hard for predators to spot, but also vulnerable to being trampled underfoot. The eggs are laid at intervals of 1 to 3 days and are incubated by both parents. They hatch after 21 to 27 days. The downy chicks are grey-buff mottled with cinnamon-buff above and white below. The young are cared for by both parents and can feed themselves. While small they are brooded at night and in bad weather. They fledge when aged around 24 days. A chick can expect an average lifespan of 5 years. 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.
The UK population of breeding birds is 5,450+ pairs and the
UK wintering population is 42,500 birds.
The common ringer plover has an extremely large range with a large population size and is therefore evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be of 'Least Concern'.