Family Plovers (Charadriidae)
Least Concern
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Taxonomy
French: Pluvier grand-gravelot German: Sandregenpfeifer Spanish: Chorlitejo grande
Taxonomy:
Charadrius Hiaticula
Linnaeus
, 1758,Sweden
.
Subspecies and Distribution
C. h. psammodromus
Salomonsen, 1930 – NE Canada (casual breeder on Ellesmere I and Baffin I) through Greenland to Svalbard, Iceland and Faeroes; winters from SW Europe to W Africa.
C. h. hiaticula
Linnaeus, 1758 – S Scandinavia to British Is and NW France; winters from British Is S to Africa.
C. h. tundrae
(Lowe, 1915) – N Scandinavia and N Russia E to Chukotskiy Peninsula, casual breeder also in N Bering Sea on St Lawrence I (USA); winters from Caspian Sea and SW Asia S to S Africa.
Descriptive notes
18–20 cm; 42–78 g; wingspan 48–57 cm. More robust plover than C. dubius; very similar to C. semipalmatus, but lacks basal web between... read more
Voice
Most-frequently heard call, usually given in flight, a mellow whistle “peeee-eew” or “too-eep” (c.... read more
Habitat
Along coast on sand or shingle beaches, sandbanks and mudflats, estuaries and, occasionally, rivers... read more
Food and feeding
Small crustaceans, molluscs, polychaete worms, isopods, amphipods, various insects (e.g. ants, beetles, flies and their larvae) and... read more
Breeding
Lays Apr around North Sea, Jun to mid Jul in Iceland, Jun in N Eurasia and no earlier than fourth week of Jun in NE Greenland. Seasonally... read more
Movements
Migratory. Northernmost birds migrate furthest S, while southernmost breeders are northernmost... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Largest European breeding populations: 30,000–50,000 pairs in Iceland, 10,000–15,000 pairs in Norway, 10,000–20,000... read more
Probably closely related to C. semipalmatus, with which in past was sometimes considered conspecific; some hybridization on Baffin I (NE Canada). Has occasionally been thought to include C. placidus as a race. Distinction between subspecies based on moult; features changing clinally N–S, rather than E–W, make it impossible to draw dividing line in NW Europe. Race psammodromus, based on minor differences in average size, often regarded as a synonym of nominate, but now thought to be sufficiently distinct to warrant recognition#R. Proposed race kolymensis (from Kolyma Delta, in NE Siberia) considered inseparable from tundrae. Three subspecies recognized.