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Little Ringed Plover: male vs female (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter madbird
- Start date
Alexander Stöhr
Well-known member
Hello Madbird,
if you see 2 LRP that are obviously pared, than its regular quite obvious, that one of them is more brighlty coloured than the other (blacker areas the most obvious).
The female depicted here http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/...riformes/168.littleringedplover-cdubius.pdfis at the extreme end of variation for a female from my experience=some/many females have blacker=less evident brown masks.
So, if you saw a couple (with confidence), than the first is a male and the second bird the female (at the extreme??? end of black-mask variation).
If you arent sure, if this was a pair, than I can only sex the first bird with a high degree of confidence , that is male
if you see 2 LRP that are obviously pared, than its regular quite obvious, that one of them is more brighlty coloured than the other (blacker areas the most obvious).
The female depicted here http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/...riformes/168.littleringedplover-cdubius.pdfis at the extreme end of variation for a female from my experience=some/many females have blacker=less evident brown masks.
So, if you saw a couple (with confidence), than the first is a male and the second bird the female (at the extreme??? end of black-mask variation).
If you arent sure, if this was a pair, than I can only sex the first bird with a high degree of confidence , that is male
We have breeding Little Ringed Plovers near my house in central Japan (Nara, near Osaka). To be honest, I've never really paid attention to any possible difference in plumage between males and females, and (most) books that I have don't say anything about any difference. Also, it's one of those birds that if you have a few photos, then you think, 'They all look basically the same, why take any more?'
But after seeing your question, and Alexander's reply, I looked at a few photos I have from the breeding season, and I did indeed note a difference between a linked pair, and I attach the photos below.
The (I presume) male has a blacker mask and also a red patch on the lower mandible near the throat. The female (I presume) has a browner mask in the area behind the ear, and lacks the red patch. Also, the yellow eyering seems more dynamic and broader in the male.
On this basis, I would suggest that both of your photos show males.
The two photos I attach were taken at exactly the same spot but one hour apart. This hour is the time it takes me to do the circuit of my regular spot - so, I took the first photo at the start of my walk, and the second at the end of the walk. I don't remember why I took the photos, except that if birds pose looking as though they want to have their photo taken, then why would you not?
But after seeing your question, and Alexander's reply, I looked at a few photos I have from the breeding season, and I did indeed note a difference between a linked pair, and I attach the photos below.
The (I presume) male has a blacker mask and also a red patch on the lower mandible near the throat. The female (I presume) has a browner mask in the area behind the ear, and lacks the red patch. Also, the yellow eyering seems more dynamic and broader in the male.
On this basis, I would suggest that both of your photos show males.
The two photos I attach were taken at exactly the same spot but one hour apart. This hour is the time it takes me to do the circuit of my regular spot - so, I took the first photo at the start of my walk, and the second at the end of the walk. I don't remember why I took the photos, except that if birds pose looking as though they want to have their photo taken, then why would you not?
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Or...you could cite some reference to support your point; or not...
As I very carefully said in my original post (#3):
1. I have never really paid attention to the differences the OP asked about, but on inspection of my own photos, I found a clear pair with visible differences - which might have been accidental, as Butty says, but...
2. I also checked the books I have and also online 'Birds of the World', and hence said that '(most) books that I have don't say anything about any difference'. However, 'Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere' (Richard Chandler) seems to support the idea that the sexes are similar, but that on the male things are 'more prominent'; the red spot at the base of the bill which I noted is mentioned but the suggestion seems to be that it is not just a male feature. But I myself, however, now wonder if this red spot (or at least its strength and visibility) might not be a male breeding feature?
3. In support of this, a very recent Japanese book I have gives separate illustrations for male and female 'Summer' (breeding, I presume) birds which support the differences (blacker mask and red lower mandible spot) for male that I pointed to in my earlier post. I attach photos from this book.
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