Common Ringed Neck Plover
La Piscina Playa de las Américas Tenerife.
What3Words
///soliciting.stoat.disclosing
The Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) is a small, stout wading bird known for its distinctive "bandit mask" and its presence along coastal and inland shores.
Appearance
Distinctive Markings:
Adults have a grey-brown back, white underparts, and a bold black neck ring (or "collar"). They feature a black-and-white head pattern, including a dark "mask" around the eyes and a white forehead.
Key Features:
They possess a short orange bill with a black tip and bright orange legs.
In Flight:
A broad white wing-stripe is clearly visible when they fly.
Identification vs. Little Ringed Plover: It is larger than the Little Ringed Plover, which has pale pinkish legs and a conspicuous yellow eye-ring.
Habitat and Behavior
Distribution:
They breed across northern Eurasia, Greenland, and Arctic Canada. While many are migratory, spending winters in Africa, populations in the UK are often resident year-round.
Nesting:
They nest on open ground, typically in a shallow scrape on shingle or sandy beaches. Their eggs are highly camouflaged, resembling speckled pebbles.
Feeding:
They use a "run-and-pause" technique to hunt insects, worms, and crustaceans. A unique behavior is "foot-trembling", where they tap the ground rapidly to mimic raindrops, enticing prey to the surface.
Defense:
To protect their nests, adults frequently perform a "broken-wing display", pretending to be injured to lure predators away from their eggs or chicks.
Conservation Status
UK Status:
Listed as Red on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern due to significant population declines.
Global Status:
Categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Threats:
Major challenges include human disturbance on breeding beaches, habitat loss, and predation by species like hedgehogs or mink.
Common Ringed Neck Plover
La Piscina Playa de las Américas Tenerife.
What3Words
///soliciting.stoat.disclosing
The Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) is a small, stout wading bird known for its distinctive "bandit mask" and its presence along coastal and inland shores.
Appearance
Distinctive Markings:
Adults have a grey-brown back, white underparts, and a bold black neck ring (or "collar"). They feature a black-and-white head pattern, including a dark "mask" around the eyes and a white forehead.
Key Features:
They possess a short orange bill with a black tip and bright orange legs.
In Flight:
A broad white wing-stripe is clearly visible when they fly.
Identification vs. Little Ringed Plover: It is larger than the Little Ringed Plover, which has pale pinkish legs and a conspicuous yellow eye-ring.
Habitat and Behavior
Distribution:
They breed across northern Eurasia, Greenland, and Arctic Canada. While many are migratory, spending winters in Africa, populations in the UK are often resident year-round.
Nesting:
They nest on open ground, typically in a shallow scrape on shingle or sandy beaches. Their eggs are highly camouflaged, resembling speckled pebbles.
Feeding:
They use a "run-and-pause" technique to hunt insects, worms, and crustaceans. A unique behavior is "foot-trembling", where they tap the ground rapidly to mimic raindrops, enticing prey to the surface.
Defense:
To protect their nests, adults frequently perform a "broken-wing display", pretending to be injured to lure predators away from their eggs or chicks.
Conservation Status
UK Status:
Listed as Red on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern due to significant population declines.
Global Status:
Categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Threats:
Major challenges include human disturbance on breeding beaches, habitat loss, and predation by species like hedgehogs or mink.