Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Summary 4
The Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America, is a medium-sized plover breeding in arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding.
Description 5
Length: 28-31 cm. Plumage: brownish grey mottled white or buff above, rump white; below white mottled grey or buff; chest dusky buff; dark ear coverts; diffuse dark eyeline; pale superciliary stripe; black axilaries diagnostic in all plumages. Breeding adult with face and underparts to belly black, broadly bordered all around from forehead down sides of neck and flanks white; crissum white. Immature like non-breeding adult, but browner above mottled with pale gold. Bare parts: iris dark brown; bill black; feet and legs grey. Habitat: coastal flats, estuaries, sandy beaches, rocky shores, sometimes inland water bodies. Palearctic migrant. <389><391><393>
Habitat 6
Comments: BREEDING: Preferred nesting habitat is wet tundra adjacent to dry or stony ground; selects nest sites in light-colored moss and lichens (Johnson and Herter 1989). NON-BREEDING: mudflats, beaches, salinas, wet savanna, shores of ponds and lakes, wet meadows, flooded fields; sometimes mangroves or rocky shores (Stiles and Skutch 1989).
Trophic strategy 7
Comments: In tidal sand and mud flats and in salt marshes feeds on: marine worms, insects, mollusks, crustaceans. In plowed fields, wet meadows and pastures searches for adult insects and larvae, earthworms, some seeds and berries (Terres 1980).
Lifespan, longevity, and ageing 8
Maximum longevity: 23.5 years (wild)
Sources and Credits
- (c) Len Blumin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/9062441@N02/3534443038
- (c) Hans Hillewaert, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Pluvialis_squatarola_%28summer_plumage%29.jpg
- (c) Cláudio Dias Timm, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtimm/8712872278/
- Adapted by Marisa Rafter from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluvialis_squatarola
- (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28497500
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/14505450
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/14505451
- Adapted by Marisa Rafter from a work by (c) Joao Pedro de Magalhaes, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/3208471
More Info
Range Map
iNat Map
| Beak length | short |
|---|---|
| Color | black, grey, white |
| Size | medium |
| Neck | short |
| Origin | native |
