Common Ringed Plover

Overview

Common Ringed Plover: Plump little plover with dark gray-brown upperparts, pure white underparts, and strong black mask and chest band. Base of dark-tipped bill and legs are bright orange. Frequents mudflats. Eats worms, aquatic insects, crustaceans and mollusks. Direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Common Ringed Plover: In North America breeds near the coasts of Greenland, Baffin Island, and Ellesmere Island. Occasionally seen as a spring migrant on the Aleutian Islands and may linger to breed.

INTERESTING FACTS

If a potential predator approaches its nest, the Common Ringed Plover will feign a broken wing to lure the intruder away.
It will sometimes use "foot-trembling" to stir up food and startle prey into movement.
Males tend to perform more nighttime egg incubation, while females incubate more during the day.
A group of plovers has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "congregation", "deceit", "ponderance" and "wing" of plovers.

The Common Ringed Plover’s breeding habitat is open ground and beach areas throughout northern Eurasia flatlands and the Arctic region of northeastern Canada. This species prefers little to no vegetation. Some members of the species will also breed inland and in northern France. Nests are scraped in the sand. During the winter months, the Common Ringed Plover migrates to coastal areas of South Africa. Those who live in Great Britain and northern France are typically year-round residents. This species forages for food such as insects, crustaceans and worms. They also eat food on the beach, or dine on organisms found in tidal flats and fields. The current conservation rating for the Common Ringed Plover is Least Concern.