Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae
BTO Codes: RP, RINPL EURING No: 4700
Number in Britain: 5300 pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: hiaticula (RBW), tundrae (W) recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 19 cm Wingspan: 52 cm Weight: M/F: 64 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: kharadra=a ravine and L.: hiatus=a cleft + -colere=to inhabit
World Distribution: BREEDS: n Eurasia, WINTERS: south to s Africa, s Asia & Australia
Habitat: Sandy areas with low vegetation, on migration estuaries
Diet: Summer, invertebrates, Winter primarily marine worms, crustaceans and molluscs
TitBit: In common with many plovers, when the parents sense a threat to their nest or chicks they feign a broken wing to lead potential predators away.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: No regional trends available
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 5291 pairs in 2007
    Winter: 34 thousand individuals in 2004-09
    Passage: 30000 individuals
    First Record: Recorded in Medieval times [Fossil evidence from Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
    Latest Survey: Conway, G.J. et al. (2008) UK population estimates from the 2007 breeding little ringed and ringed plover surveys BTO, Thetford
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Recent Breeding Population Decline (1981-2007), Important Non-breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: hiaticula AMBER (Recent Decline), tundrae GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries  and summary map from Time to Fly (in pop-up windows)
European Population Size:
    Summer: 110 to 180 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 35 x 26 mm Egg Weight: 11.5 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 279
Clutch Size: 4 eggs 3.72 ± 0.55 (2 - 5) N = 2989
Incubation: 23- 25 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 23 - 25days as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: 14 May (21 Apr - 28 Jun)
Number of Broods: 2(3)
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.772 ± 0.086       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 5 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 19 years 8 months 19 days (set in 2000)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: B+
Wing Length Adult: 134.5 ± 4.2     Range 118.0 - 148.0 mm, (N = 2407)
Juvenile: 131.6 ± 4.0     Range 117.0 - 143.0 mm, (N = 1774)
Male: 134.8 ± 4.0     Range 120.0 - 148.0 mm, (N = 835)
Female: 134.9 ± 4.2     Range 120.0 - 147.0 mm, (N = 561)
Weight Adult: 65.66 ± 8.26 Range 32.00 - 94.00 g , (N =2351)
Juvenile: 60.3 ± 8.8 Range 35.7 - 94.0 . , (N =1666)
Male: 66.33 ± 8.75 Range 32.00 - 94.00 g , (N =811)
Female: 65.48 ± 8.77 Range 41.80 - 94.00 g , (N =541)
Seasonal: Summer 64.59 ± 7.44 (N = 1709)   Autumn 64.16 ± 6.96 (N = 2122)   Winter 72.06 ± 7.21 (N = 859)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

Common / Great Ringed Plover
Gaelic: Trģlleachan-trąghad Welsh: Cwtiad Torchog
Danish: Stor pręstekrave Dutch: Bontbekplevier
Finnish: Tylli French: Grand Gravelot
German: Sandregenpfeifer Hungarian: Parti lile
Icelandic: Sandlóa Irish: Feadóg Chladaigh
Italian: Corriere grosso Norwegian: Sandlo
Polish: Sieweczka obrozna Portuguese: Borrelho-grande-de-coleira
Spanish: Chorlitejo grande Swedish: Större strandpipare
Local Names:Sand Lark, Sandy Lo

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Nethersole-Thompson, D. & M. 1986 Waders, their breeding, haunts and watchers Poyser, London [598.6 NET]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead