Madagascar Plover
Anarhynchus thoracicus
Small plover with a brown back, pale underparts, and a black chest band. Distinctive head pattern, with one black stripe behind the eye and another across the forehead. Rare Madagascar endemic that is found along the western and southern coast. Preferred habitat is open fields with very short grass, and adjacent coastal mudflats. Acts like a typical plover, running and plucking food from the ground. Similar to Kittlitz’s Plover, but has a chest band. Duller juvenile can still be identified by its vague breast band. Smaller and paler than Common Ringed Plover, with a more complex head pattern.
识别特征
Adult males and females have sexually monomorphic plumage, however females are slightly heavier than males and have longer wings, suggesting slight sexual dimorphism. The breeding plumage of the Madagascar plover consists of a white forehead bordered by a black bar and a black crown band, with a white crown band just above. An extra black band is present running from behind the eye, around the hind neck, along with a thick black band across upper chest. The rest of the face is white. Adults weigh 31-43 g, with females weighing on average 37.8 g and males 36.4 g. From the mantle and scapular feathers to the rump, the plumage is greyish brown. The central two feathers of the tail are grey/brown, with the outer feathers a lighter shade with darker distal bands and white tips. The underparts are white, with a rufous lower belly and undertail coverts. The bill, legs and eyes are black during the breeding season. Outside of breeding season, the species' appearance is duller, with the black markings more brown. Downy young weigh about 7.1 g and have a lime-green bill that turns brownish black towards the tip, with brown eyes and dull lime-green legs.
分类信息
Genus: Anarhynchus; Family: Charadriidae; Order: Charadriiformes.
- 学名
- Anarhynchus thoracicus
- 命名信息
- (Richmond, 1896)
- 目
- Charadriiformes
- 科
- Charadriidae
- 属
- Anarhynchus
分布与栖息地
The Madagascar plover is the only plover species endemic to Madagascar, and is present mainly on the west and south coasts from Andriamandroro to Tapera. It is estimated that this population occupies 139 km2, and breeds from the Mahavavy River delta in the north to Fort-Dauphin in the south-east. Nests are predominantly found in sparsely vegetated habitats such as grasslands, coastal mudflats, salt marshes, edges of alkaline lakes and mangroves, and breeding does not extend more than a few kilometers inland. The Madagascar plover is not known to migrate.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Migration pattern: Resident species.
保护状况
Population trend: declining.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
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