Three-banded Plover
Thinornis tricollaris
A small, dark plover of freshwater and brackish wetlands with one white and two black breast-bands and a broad white forehead. The juvenile has less distinct breast bands. It moves busily along wetland edges, foraging for insects by pecking in the mud and on the water’s surface. Calls a rapid grated staccato “kreet” and high-pitched “weet-weet” as it flies off when alarmed. Similar Forbes Plover differs from Three-banded Plover by having a dark brown forehead and mostly dark bill with a red base (rather than a reddish bill with a dark tip).
Identification
The adult three-banded plover is 18 cm in length. It has long wings and a very long tail, and therefore looks different from most other small plovers in flight, the exception being the closely related Forbes's plover. <p>The adult three-banded plover has medium brown upperparts, and the underparts are white except for the two black breast bands, separated by a white band, which give this species its common and scientific names. The head is strikingly patterned, with a black crown, white supercilia extending from the white forehead to meet on the back of the neck, and a grey face becoming brown on the neck. The orbital ring is orange-red, and the base of the otherwise black bill is rosy red in colour.<p>The Malagasy subspecies C. t. bifrontatus has a grey band between the bill and the white forehead, and the sides of the head are grey. A genetic study reported genetic differentiation between Madagascar and the mainland population. The sexes are similar with respect to plumage and size. Juveniles of the nominate and Malagasy subspecies also resemble the adults, although the forehead is brownish for a short time, and the wing coverts show buff fringes. This species is distinguished from the larger and darker Forbes's plover in that the latter has a brown forehead and lacks a white wingbar.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Thinornis tricollaris
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1818
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Genus
- Thinornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Bird Calls
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Medium-sized hummingbird, male mostly green with bold white throat, white line behind eye, and blue crown. Gray tail in the western parts of range, blue in the east. Female not quite as colorful but still striking: bright buffy underparts with black cheek and white line behind eye. She is very similar to female Purple-throated Mountain-gem but has duller bronzy tail; only safely identified with a good view. A forest hummingbird that also comes out to edges and gardens, visits feeders.
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