From Opus

Photo by tarabilla
Almeria, Spain

Charadrius alexandrinus

[edit] Identification

15-17 cm

• Upperparts greyish brown
• Underparts white
• Black legs
  

Female: has a grey head, lacking any black markings

[edit] Distribution

Female
Photo by Mark Bruce
Old salt ponds, Budai area, Taiwan, November 2008

Found in Europe, Africa and Asia east to Indonesia.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies¹

Juvenile
Photo by charelli
Brouwersdam, The Netherlands, December 2007

• C. a. alexandrinus:

• Western Palearctic to north-eastern China; winters to Africa, southern Asia, Indonesia

• C. a. dealbatus:

• Southern Japan, Ryukyu Island and eastern China; winters to Philippines, Borneo

• C. a. seebohmi:

• South-eastern India and Sri Lanka

Snowy Plover from the Americas was formerly considered conspecific.

White-faced Plover: a full species?
Photo by martinuk
Laem Pak Bia, Phetchaburi Province, Thailand, March 2011

A form discovered in southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China) and commonly named White-faced Plover may belong to this species or form a full species. It seems that this birds were originally described as dealbatus, a name that later was accidentally transferred to the dealbatus subspecies of today.

[edit] Habitat

Sandy coasts and brackish inland lakes, and is uncommon on fresh water.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

It nests in a ground scrape and lays 3-5 eggs.

[edit] Diet

Diet includes insects and other invertebrates.

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Avibase
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728
4. Birdforum thread discussing AOU NACC proposal to split Snowy Plover and other taxonomic changes

• List of references

[edit] External Links