Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubius
Delicately built small plover with bright yellow eyerings. Note dull pinkish legs and large white forehead patch (in adults). Plumage much like bulkier Ringed Plover, but white eyebrow continues unbroken across forehead. In flight shows narrow, indistinct whitish wing stripe. Breeds on stony substrates around lakes, gravel pits, and along rivers; migrants occur in wide variety of fresh and brackish wetland habitats, but rarely out on open tidal areas. Clipped “peu” call quite distinct from call of similar Common Ringed Plover.
Identification
Adult little ringed plovers have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill. The legs are flesh-coloured and the toes are all webbed.<p>This species differs from the larger ringed plover in leg colour, the head pattern, and the presence of a clear yellow eye-ring.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Thinornis dubius
- Authority
- Scopoli, 1786
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Genus
- Thinornis
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL, OR : widespread inland subarctic to tropical zones: Eurasia, Indian subcontinent, se Asia, Philippines, New Guinea and Bismarck Arch.
- Non-breeding range
- Sub-Saharan wc to ne, ec Africa; Middle East; s, se Asia and Indonesian Arch.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
The little ringed plover is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Banded Yellow Robin
Eopsaltria placens
A medium-sized, localized bird of foothill forest. Orange legs, gray head and wings, olive back and chest band, bright yellow belly and incomplete collar from the lower throat around to the sides of the neck. Perches low down, motionlessly scanning the forest floor. Distinctive, but somewhat similar to Green-backed and White-faced Robins which both have white on the face. Song, a series of whistled notes “pwip! pyuu-pyuu-pyuu-pyuu-pyuu”. The first note rising followed by a gap, the followed by identical notes.
Chestnut-throated Flycatcher
Myiagra castaneigularis
A beautiful small flycatcher. Mostly pale whitish gray below and dark blue above. Crown and cheek vivid sky blue, throat chestnut, and bill bright red. Prefers native mature forest in hills, avoiding regrowth. Similar to Vanikoro Flycatcher, but distinguished by vivid blue head markings and reduced rufous below. Almost identical to Azure-crested Flycatcher, but range does not overlap. Voice poorly known, but calls include typical churring and buzzing notes.
Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle
Circaetus beaudouini
Chunky dark brown raptor with a white belly marked by thin bars. Immatures are brown when perched, and show rufous patches in the underwing in flight. Found in savanna habitats. Soars frequently and sometimes hovers. Very similar to Short-toed Snake-Eagle, but has darker upperparts and narrower dark bars on the belly; the front of the underwings looks white and unbarred in flight. Immature similar to immature Black-breasted and Short-toed Snake-Eagles, but identified by the rufous patches on the underwings.
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