Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae
BTO Codes: GP, GOLPL EURING No: 4850
Number in Britain: 23 thousand 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: Monotypic
.
Length: 28 cm Wingspan: 72 cm Weight: M/F: 220 g    
Scientific name from: L.: pluvia=to rain and L.: apricus=sun-kissed
World Distribution: BREEDS: N Europe to c Siberia, WINTERS: w Europe to Mediterranean & Persian Gulf
Habitat: Tundra, wet moor, on migration pasture & estuaries
Diet: Invertebrates, esp beetles, earthworms, feeds extensively at night
TitBit: A question about the flight speed of Golden Plover (now known to be up to 60mph) during a shooting party in Wexford, Ireland prompted Sir Hugh Beaver (then chairman of the brewery) to found the Guinness Book of Records in 1955.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: No regional trends available
Distribution: Atlas Maps    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 23 thousand pairs in 1981-84     Note: Best estimate
    Winter: 400 thousand individuals in 2006/07
    First Record: Recorded in Medieval times [Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Important Non-breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern:
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Common in: Bog, Grass/Heath, Marsh
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries  and summary map from Time to Fly (in pop-up windows)
European Population Size:
    Summer: 436 to 645 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(II,III), WBD(I, II*&III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack
Results from the Winter Farmland Bird Survey

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 52 x 35 mm Egg Weight: 33.0 g (of which 5 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 14   (more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size: 4 eggs 3.94 ± 0.28 (2 - 4) N = 527
Incubation: 28- 31 days   by the: Female (occ. Male)
Fledging: 25 - 33days as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: 24 Apr (3 Apr - 6 Jun)
Number of Broods: 1
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.730       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 4 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 12 years 0 months 29 days (set in 1978)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: D
Wing Length Adult: 192.4 ± 5.4     Range 168.0 - 207.0 mm, (N = 213)
Juvenile: 191.2 ± 5.0     Range 169.0 - 203.0 mm, (N = 211)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: 203.6 ± 18.44 Range 124.6 - 280.0 g , (N =224)
Juvenile: 198.5 ± 17.3 Range 132.6 - 249.0 . , (N =196)
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Seasonal: Summer 193.9 ± 13.08 (N = 40)   Autumn 193.6 ± 14.21 (N = 432)   Winter 214.5 ± 19.91 (N = 427)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

European Golden Plover
Gaelic: Welsh: Cwtiad Aur
Danish: Hjejle Dutch: Goudplevier
Finnish: Kapustarinta French: Pluvier doré
German: Goldregenpfeifer Hungarian: Aranylile
Icelandic: Heiðlóa Irish: Feadóg Bhuí
Italian: Piviere dorato Norwegian: Heilo
Polish: Siewka zlota Portuguese: Tarambola-dourada
Spanish: Chorlito dorado Swedish: Ljungpipare
Local Names:Whistling / Hill Plover
Collective Noun:Stand (or Wing in flight)

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Byrkjedal, I. & Thompson, D. 1998 Tundra plovers Poyser, London [598.612 BYR]
   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
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry