Golden Plover in the rain
Linnaeus put Golden Plovers in the genus Pluvialis, which means relating to rain, as in Sweden they were known as Rain Pipers (Regnpipare) because they were thought to call before rain. This one actually did call its plaintive whistle just before the rain started, but that is just coincidence. Its specific name apricaria means basking in the sun, probably because of the golden, spangled upperparts. Birds in the south of their breeding range (ie Britain) are less marked with black below, particularly around the face, but you can see the black belly. They also have an interesting division of labour between the sexes. Females incubate the eggs during the night, then go off to feed in fields as a single sex flock during the day time. Males take over incubation during the day and go off to feed on different fields at night. So I suspect this daytime bird on pasture is a female.
Golden Plover in the rain
Linnaeus put Golden Plovers in the genus Pluvialis, which means relating to rain, as in Sweden they were known as Rain Pipers (Regnpipare) because they were thought to call before rain. This one actually did call its plaintive whistle just before the rain started, but that is just coincidence. Its specific name apricaria means basking in the sun, probably because of the golden, spangled upperparts. Birds in the south of their breeding range (ie Britain) are less marked with black below, particularly around the face, but you can see the black belly. They also have an interesting division of labour between the sexes. Females incubate the eggs during the night, then go off to feed in fields as a single sex flock during the day time. Males take over incubation during the day and go off to feed on different fields at night. So I suspect this daytime bird on pasture is a female.