Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus Scientific name definitions

18–21 cm (1 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ); 41–70 g; wingspan 45 cm. Very similar to C. hiaticula, C. semipalmatus and C. dubius, but generally larger, with longer dark bill and longer tail, some of which features may be more obvious in flight ; black breastband narrow and often has grey at sides, especially in females, and shape typically differs from other species, being broader at sides, rather than narrower (2 Lethaby, N. (2006). The identification of Long-billed Plover. BirdingASIA. 6: 48–54. Close ); eyestripe brownish black. Sexes often considered to be alike, but black frontal bar and breastband usually broader in males (2 Lethaby, N. (2006). The identification of Long-billed Plover. BirdingASIA. 6: 48–54. Close ). Yellow orbital ring typically narrower than that of C. dubius (2 Lethaby, N. (2006). The identification of Long-billed Plover. BirdingASIA. 6: 48–54. Close ). Non-breeding adult has duller head and breast pattern, and brownish supercilium. Juvenile resembles non-breeding adult, but lacks blackish on forecrown and breatband can be almost completely lacking in some (2 Lethaby, N. (2006). The identification of Long-billed Plover. BirdingASIA. 6: 48–54. Close ); supercilium very pale buffy white, more ill-defined and less white than in C. hiaticula, but always more obvious than in C. dubius; upperparts fringed with buff.

Russian Far East, NE & E China, Korea and Japan; also NE India (W Arunachal Pradesh). Winters from E Nepal and NE India to N Indochina, S China, S Korea and Japan.

Breeds in gravel, shingle or stony areas at edges of rivers and lakes. Recorded breeding to 900 m in Japan (3 Brazil, M. (1991). The Birds of Japan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and at 1570 m in W Arunachal Pradesh (NE India) (4 Eaton, J.E. and Rheindt, F.E. (2009). Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus nesting in its Himalayan wintering range: first breeding record for the Indian Subcontinent. Forktail. 25: 152–153. Close ), where recorded even higher (1800 m) at a second locality, albeit without proof of breeding (5 Greeshma, M. (2011). On the presence of Long-billed Plovers Charadrius placidus in Rupa, Arunachal Pradesh in the summer months. J. Threatened Taxa. 3(6): 1862–1863. Close ). During non-breeding season, frequents shingle banks of large rivers and muddy areas, such as cut rice stubble fields and mudflats, but also observed on beaches and at sewage ponds. Recorded to 2700 m in Bhutan on passage (6 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ).

Populations of Russia and NE & E China wholly or mainly migratory, respectively, moving S to E Nepal, NE India (principally Assam, e.g. Nameri National Park) (7 Barua, M., and P. Sharma (2005). The birds of Nameri National Park, Assam, India. Forktail 21:15–26. Close ), Bhutan (where recorded mid Sept to late Apr, but few seen after Feb) (6 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ), Bangladesh (rare, first definitely recorded 1991) (8 Thompson, P. M., W. G. Harvey, D. L. Johnson, D. J. Millin, S. M. A. Rashid, D. A. Scott, C. Stanfield, and J. D. Woolner (1993). Recent notable bird records from Bangladesh. Forktail 9: 13–44. Close , 9 Thompson, P. M., and D. L. Johnson (2003). Further notable bird records from Bangladesh. Forktail 19:85–102. Close ), N Indochina (including Laos) (10 Thewlis, R. M., R. J. Timmins, T. D. Evans, and J. W. Duckworth (1998). The conservation status of birds in Laos: a review of key species. Bird Conservation International 8(Supplement):1–159. Close ), S China and S Korea, with vagrants recorded as far S as Sri Lanka (Jan 1993), Peninsular Malaysia (Mar 1968) (11 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ), Borneo (Brunei, Jan 1982, Jan 1983, Mar 1990) (12 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ) and even Bali (Nov 1973). Record from Singapore (Feb 1990) (13 Konrad, V. (2005). First record of Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus in Singapore. Forktail. 21: 181–182. Close ) has now been retracted (14 Leader, P.J. (2006). Comments on the purported first record of Long-billed Plover for Singapore. BirdingASIA. 6: 45–47. Close ). Japanese population appears to be mainly sedentary, though some/most from Hokkaido move S (leaving small numbers in E of island) (15 Murose, A. (1998). [Wintering records of Long-billed Ringed Plover Charadrius placidus in Tokachi district, eastern Hokkaido.] Jap. J. Orn.. 47(1): 24. (In Japanese with English summary.). Close ), and species is only a winter visitor on Nansei Shoto, while those in E China are also partially resident (16 Brazil, M. (2009). Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia: Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Eastern Russia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Very little information available. Diet apparently includes flies and beetles. Usually solitary feeder.

Generally rather shrill and metallic. Most-frequently heard call, usually given in flight, a clear piping over-slurred “peeeuw” (c. 0·25 seconds long). On breeding grounds, in display flight a long series of 20–30 whistled notes, given at rate of c. 3 notes/second, gradually increasing in volume and pitch, then falling and fading again, “whit-whit-whit-whit-wheet-wheet-wheet-whit-whit”. Alarm call a metallic, fast, almost rattling “pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi...”.

Little known. Breeds from mid Mar in N of range, with nests recorded in Japan between 3 Apr and 5 Jul (17 Katayama, N., Amano, T. and Ohori, S. (2010). The effects of gravel bar construction on breeding Long-billed Plovers. Waterbirds. 33(2): 162–168. Close ), but in NE India found with small young (< 1 week old) in second week of Apr (4 Eaton, J.E. and Rheindt, F.E. (2009). Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus nesting in its Himalayan wintering range: first breeding record for the Indian Subcontinent. Forktail. 25: 152–153. Close ) and chicks have also been observed in Japan as early as third week of Apr (17 Katayama, N., Amano, T. and Ohori, S. (2010). The effects of gravel bar construction on breeding Long-billed Plovers. Waterbirds. 33(2): 162–168. Close ). Clutch 3–4 pale grey eggs with very small and widely scattered darker markings, incubated by both adults for 27–29 days (3 Brazil, M. (1991). The Birds of Japan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 18 Wilkinson, R., Dowell, S., He, F.-Q. and Lin, J.-S. (2008). Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus breeding in Jiangxi province, east-central China. BirdingASIA. 9: 86–87. Close ). Nest a depression, sometimes on sandy ground, among pebbles and rocks on elevated riverbank. Hatching rate at study in Japan varied from 19% to 100%, with predators including Carrion Crows (Corvus corone) (17 Katayama, N., Amano, T. and Ohori, S. (2010). The effects of gravel bar construction on breeding Long-billed Plovers. Waterbirds. 33(2): 162–168. Close ). No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Total continental wintering population probably numbers less than 10,000 birds; nowhere seen in large numbers and densities in breeding areas in Ussuriland just one pair per 10–20 km with some evidence of recent decrease (19 Mikhailov, K.E. and Shibnev, Y.B. (1998). The threatened and near-threatened birds of northern Ussuriland, south-east Russia, and the role of the Bikin River basin in their conservation. Bird Conservation International. 8(2): 141–171. Close ); altogether, only a few records from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia and China; this population appears to be declining. Sedentary Japanese population reported to have lost 17% of its habitat over the past 20 years (17 Katayama, N., Amano, T. and Ohori, S. (2010). The effects of gravel bar construction on breeding Long-billed Plovers. Waterbirds. 33(2): 162–168. Close ). Recently discovered breeding in NE India (Arunachal Pradesh) and, in China, breeding also recently extended S to Jiangxi province (18 Wilkinson, R., Dowell, S., He, F.-Q. and Lin, J.-S. (2008). Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus breeding in Jiangxi province, east-central China. BirdingASIA. 9: 86–87. Close ).