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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.
American Golden Plover
DaninJapan

American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)

This is what I believe is a rare catch for Okinawa, An American Golden Plover in with a flock of Pacific Golden Plovers. Notice the darker overall appearance, the thick white on the forehead and the white bar at the wing bend and the lack of white continuing along the flanks, the gold dorsal feathers meet the black ventral feathers with no white border as in Pacific G.P.

Plover "experts" please feel free to comment!
Click to expand...
Habitat
Open grassland along the coast
Location
Camp Schwab, Nago-Shi, Okinawa
Date taken
18 April 2009
Scientific name
Pluvialis dominica
Equipment used
Canon 50D, 100-400L
B
I think you are right. The beak is also longer and not so stout as a PGP and the wing extension looks longer than a PGP.The greyish appearance to the dorsal feathers is also an AGP characteristic.I also think the narrower and whiter eyebrow is also very characteristic of AMG.There is also a distinct grey cast to the wing coverts.
 
tunpin.ong
Looks positive for an AGP. Do you have any side view to show its primary projection, i.e. the exposed primaries beyond the tertials?
How many records of AGP ever recorded in whole of Japan? I came across 2 but there may be more.
 
lostinjapan
Less than a half a dozen records, but most coming from Okinawa.There are certainly features on this bird that suggest American Goldie as you mentioned. You need to put this shot in the Q and A section of Birdforum to get some more opinions and preferably with more shots of the tertials and primaries side on.
 
Andy T
Has the look of one that blew this way a while back Dan - super image, and the PGP.
 

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Category
Asia, Australia & Pacific Islands
Added by
DaninJapan
Date added
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Comment count
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