Pacific golden plover (Breeding, male)
Pacific golden plovers breed in Siberian tundra and in West Alaska in June-July.
The breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black. In winter, the black is lost and the plover then has a yellowish face and breast, and white underparts.
Phenomenal long-distance travelers, after breeding in the Arctic, these plovers migrate to spend winter almost half way around the world (5,000-13,000km away one-way). Some winter on tiny islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a feat requiring precise navigation. Alaskan breeders winter in Hawaii, Fiji, South Pacific Islands, all the way to New Zealand.
Ko Olina Beach, O'aHu, Hawaii
Pacific golden plover (Breeding, male)
Pacific golden plovers breed in Siberian tundra and in West Alaska in June-July.
The breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black. In winter, the black is lost and the plover then has a yellowish face and breast, and white underparts.
Phenomenal long-distance travelers, after breeding in the Arctic, these plovers migrate to spend winter almost half way around the world (5,000-13,000km away one-way). Some winter on tiny islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a feat requiring precise navigation. Alaskan breeders winter in Hawaii, Fiji, South Pacific Islands, all the way to New Zealand.
Ko Olina Beach, O'aHu, Hawaii