Grey Plover
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| iGrey Plover | ||||||||||||||
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 Grey Plover (illustration)
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| Pluvialis squatarola (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America, is a medium-sized plover.
Adults are spotted black and white on the back and wings. Their face and neck are black with a white border; they have a black breast and a white rump. The legs are black.
Their breeding habitat is Arctic islands and coastal areas from northern Canada and Alaska to north-eastern Russia. They nest on the ground in a dry open area with good visibility.
They are migratory and winter in coastal areas ranging from southern Canada to Argentina and from Britain and Denmark to north-western Africa and the Mediterranean, as well as Australia.
These birds forage for food on beaches, tidal flats and fields, usually by sight. They eat insects, crustaceans and worms.
The Grey Plover is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Pluvialis squatarola. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
