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Difference between revisions of "Siberian Sand Plover" - BirdForum Opus

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;Charadrius mongolus
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[[Image:Mongolian_Plover.jpg|thumb|500px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Akiko+Hidaka|Akiko Hidaka}} <br /> Tokyo, [[Japan]], August]]
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[[Image:Mongolian_Plover.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Akiko Hidaka]]
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'''Alternative name: Siberian Plover. The name Mongolian Plover was sometimes used for what became this species but also sometimes for other combinations of subspecies.'''
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==Description==
 
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AKA: Lesser Sand Plover
 
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The Lesser Sand Plover, Charadrius mongolus, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as Lesser Sandplover, but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is Lesser Sand Plover.
 
  
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There are five races, and the large east Asian forms, C. m. mongolus and C. m. stegmanni, are sometimes given specific status as Mongolian Plover, Charadrius mongolus. If the taxonomic split is accepted, Lesser Sandplover as then defined becomes Charadrius atrifrons, including the three races atrifrons, pamirensis and schaeferi.
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;[[Category:Anarhynchus]] [[:Category:Anarhynchus|Anarhynchus]] mongolus
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''Charadrius mongolus''
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==Identification==
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[[Image:Gravelot mongol 070507-3240.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Breeding plumage<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Francksan|Francksan}}<br />Hokkaido, [[Japan]], May 2007 ]]
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18–21 cm (7-8¼ in)
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*back brownish grey
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*underparts white
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*flanks mottled
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*legs dark
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*bill black
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'''Breeding'''
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*breast, forehead and nape chestnut
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*eye mask black
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*front white surrounded by black which is fused with eye mask
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The female is similar but duller<br />
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'''Winter and juvenile''' birds lack the chestnut
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====Similar species====
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Siberian Sand Plover differ from Tibetan Sand Plover in:
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*Siberian average larger, bill thicker and end blunter, legs shorter
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*flanks are mottled in Siberian but clean in Tibetan
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*in flight: feet protrudes past tail on Tibetan but usually not on Siberian
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In breeding plumage
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*Siberian male usually have some white above bill in the "bandits mask" while this is rare in Tibetan
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*female Tibetan rarely have black in auricular area, something usually found in Siberian.  
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In non-breeding plumage
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*breast band (nearly) unbroken on Siberian, but limited to breast sides in Tibetan
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*pale forehead grades into the crown in Tibetan while demarcation is sharp in Siberian
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Compare also with [[Greater Sand Plover]]
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====Similar Species====
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[[Image:Lesser Sandplover 3-1.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Ken+Doy|Ken Doy}}<br />Wellington Point, Brisbane, [[Queensland]], [[Australia]], March 2020]]
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[[Greater Sand Plover]]
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==Distribution==
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Is only known to breed within [[Siberia]] (the eastern third, also known as [[Far East Russia]]. It winters in east [[Asia]] from southern [[Japan]] and along the eastern coast of [[China} to [[Greater Sundas]], [[New Guinea]], [[Australia]], and in small numbers to [[New Zealand]].<br />
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Vagrants have been recorded in [[Europe]], [[North America]], and [[South America]]; however, [[Alaska]] is likely regularly visited during migration.
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==Taxonomy==
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This species and [[Tibetan Sand Plover]] were formerly lumped under the name of Lesser Sand Plover (sometimes instead named Mongolian (Sand) Plover).  
  
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It breeds above the tree line in the Himalayas and discontinuously across to bare coastal plains in north-eastern Siberia, with the Mongolian Plover in the eastern part of the range; it has also bred in Alaska. It nests in a bare ground scrape, laying three eggs. This species is strongly migratory, wintering on sandy beaches in east Africa, south Asia and Australasia. It is a very rare vagrant in western Europe, but, surprisingly, of the three individuals recorded in Great Britain up to 2003, one was a Mongolian Plover.
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====Subspecies====
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Clements recognises the following subspecies [[#References|[1]]]:
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This chunky plover is long-legged and long-billed. Breeding males have grey backs and white underparts. The breast, forehead and nape are chestnut, and there is a black eye mask. The female is duller, and winter and juvenile birds lack the chestnut, apart from a hint of rufous on the head. Legs are dark and the bill black.
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*''A. m. mongolus'': Eastern [[Siberia]] and [[Russia|Russian Far East]]; winters [[Taiwan]] to [[Australia]]
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*''A. m. stegmanni'': Kamchatka to Chukotsk Peninsula; winters to [[Australia]]
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In all plumages, this species is very similar to Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii. Separating the species may be straightforward in mixed wintering flocks on an Indian beach, where the difference in size and structure is obvious; it is another thing altogether to identify a lone vagrant to western Europe, where both species are very rare. The problem is compounded in that the Middle Eastern race of Greater Sandplover is the most similar to Lesser. Lesser usually has darker legs, a white forehead, and a more even white wing bar than greater.
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==Habitat==
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Coastal shores, mudflats and fields
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The Lesser Sand Plover's food is insects, crustaceans and annelid worms, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups. This species takes fewer steps and shorter pauses than Greater when feeding.
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==Behaviour==
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Strongly migratory, however, birds in their second calendar year may stay in the wintering grounds.  
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The flight call is a hard trill.
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====Breeding====
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They nest in a bare ground scrape; the clutch consists of 3 eggs.  
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====Diet====
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Their varied diet includes insects, crustaceans, such as crabs and molluscs and annelid worms on their non-breeding grounds. What they eat during the breeding season is not well recorded.
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====Vocalisation====
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'''Flight call''': A hard trill.
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thOct23}}#{{Ref-GillDonskerRasmussen22V14.1}}#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
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#[http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=151101 Thread] in Birdforum Id forum discussing Lesser vs Greater Sand Plover identification
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#Wiersma, P., Kirwan, G.M., Christie, D.A. & Boesman, P. (2020). Lesser Sandplover (Charadrius mongolus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53845 on 3 March 2020)
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{{ref}}
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==External Links==
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{{GSearch|"Anarhynchus mongolus" {{!}} "Siberian Sand Plover" {{!}} "Siberian Sandplover"}}
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<br />
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{{VSearch|"Anarhynchus mongolus" {{!}} "Siberian Sand Plover" {{!}} "Siberian Sandplover"}}
  
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<br />
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'''Warning: the following two searches are likely to find a lot of birds that were uploaded as "Lesser Sand Plover and may include some that really belong to [[Tibetan Sand Plover]]'''
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{{GSearch|"Anarhynchus mongolus" {{!}} "Charadrius mongolus" {{!}} "Siberian Sand Plover" {{!}} "Siberian Sandplover" {{!}} "Mongolian Plover" {{!}} "Mongolian Dotterel" {{!}} "Mongolian Sand Plover" {{!}} "Mongolian Sandplover"}}
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<br />
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{{VSearch|"Anarhynchus mongolus" {{!}} "Charadrius mongolus" {{!}} "Siberian Sand Plover" {{!}} "Siberian Sandplover" {{!}} "Mongolian Plover" {{!}} "Mongolian Dotterel" {{!}} "Mongolian Sand Plover" {{!}} "Mongolian Sandplover"}}
  
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{{GS-checked}}1
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<br />
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<br />
  
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==Identification==
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[[Category:Anarhynchus]][[Category:Birds]]
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Photo taken: Tokyo Japan
 
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==External Links==
 
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*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?mcats=all&what=allfields&si=Charadrius+mongolus+ View more images of Mongolian Plover in the gallery]
 
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*[http://www.aviceda.org/abid/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&fid=39&bid=503 View more images of this species on the ABID]
 
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[[Category:Birds]]
 

Latest revision as of 16:05, 30 December 2023

Photo © by Akiko Hidaka
Tokyo, Japan, August

Alternative name: Siberian Plover. The name Mongolian Plover was sometimes used for what became this species but also sometimes for other combinations of subspecies.

Anarhynchus mongolus

Charadrius mongolus

Identification

Breeding plumage
Photo © by Francksan
Hokkaido, Japan, May 2007

18–21 cm (7-8¼ in)

  • back brownish grey
  • underparts white
  • flanks mottled
  • legs dark
  • bill black

Breeding

  • breast, forehead and nape chestnut
  • eye mask black
  • front white surrounded by black which is fused with eye mask

The female is similar but duller
Winter and juvenile birds lack the chestnut

Similar species

Siberian Sand Plover differ from Tibetan Sand Plover in:

  • Siberian average larger, bill thicker and end blunter, legs shorter
  • flanks are mottled in Siberian but clean in Tibetan
  • in flight: feet protrudes past tail on Tibetan but usually not on Siberian

In breeding plumage

  • Siberian male usually have some white above bill in the "bandits mask" while this is rare in Tibetan
  • female Tibetan rarely have black in auricular area, something usually found in Siberian.

In non-breeding plumage

  • breast band (nearly) unbroken on Siberian, but limited to breast sides in Tibetan
  • pale forehead grades into the crown in Tibetan while demarcation is sharp in Siberian

Compare also with Greater Sand Plover

Similar Species

Photo © by Ken Doy
Wellington Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, March 2020

Greater Sand Plover

Distribution

Is only known to breed within Siberia (the eastern third, also known as Far East Russia. It winters in east Asia from southern Japan and along the eastern coast of [[China} to Greater Sundas, New Guinea, Australia, and in small numbers to New Zealand.
Vagrants have been recorded in Europe, North America, and South America; however, Alaska is likely regularly visited during migration.

Taxonomy

This species and Tibetan Sand Plover were formerly lumped under the name of Lesser Sand Plover (sometimes instead named Mongolian (Sand) Plover).

Subspecies

Clements recognises the following subspecies [1]:

Habitat

Coastal shores, mudflats and fields

Behaviour

Strongly migratory, however, birds in their second calendar year may stay in the wintering grounds.

Breeding

They nest in a bare ground scrape; the clutch consists of 3 eggs.

Diet

Their varied diet includes insects, crustaceans, such as crabs and molluscs and annelid worms on their non-breeding grounds. What they eat during the breeding season is not well recorded.

Vocalisation

Flight call: A hard trill.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 14.1). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.14.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
  3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
  4. Thread in Birdforum Id forum discussing Lesser vs Greater Sand Plover identification
  5. Wiersma, P., Kirwan, G.M., Christie, D.A. & Boesman, P. (2020). Lesser Sandplover (Charadrius mongolus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53845 on 3 March 2020)

Recommended Citation

External Links



Warning: the following two searches are likely to find a lot of birds that were uploaded as "Lesser Sand Plover and may include some that really belong to Tibetan Sand Plover


GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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