Greater sand-plover

About Greater sand-plover:

• It is known for long distance migration.
• Appearance:
  • It is a medium-sized plover with a long hefty bill.
  • Breeding adults have a dark mask and orangish chest, neck, and forehead; females duller than males.
  • Non-breeding birds and immatures are sandy brown above and white below, with a white throat and “eyebrows.”
  • Additionally, unlike some Lesser Sand-Plovers, Greater never has a black boundary around the throat.
• It breeds in high-elevation areas, where it favors arid, open habitats, sometimes near water. Winters on coastal mudflats and estuaries.
• It breeds during April to May in central Asia, late March to late May in Turkey and upto late June in Armenia.
• It winters in the shores of Indian and Australian Oceans after the breeding.
• Diet: The bird’s diet consists of beetles, worms, crustaceans, molluscs, other insects and their larvae.
• Habitat:Mudflats and sandy shores.
• Behaviour/Ecology: Associates with other feeding shorebirds, especially Lesser Sand Plover.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Least Concern