Greater Sandplover or "lesser", Sharm, Egypt, 14-12-23 (2 Viewers)

[MJB]

Notice that atrifrons is Tibetan, not Siberian
Niels

Of course it is Niels! thanks for the correction - I was so locked in to not using 'Siberian' but was interrupted by a phone call with disastrous results! Mea culpa!
MJB

 

[Earnest lad]

I think the bill is still useful for separation. This bird (and the one in your first post) has a large, long bill with a sharp tip, unlike the bill of Tibetan but consistent with columbinus. And as I mentioned in my earlier comment, the head pattern also fits for Greater - Tibetan has a longer, more obvious supercilium, more extensive white on the forehead and often paler lores.

Compare your bird against these Tibetan:

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Planned Outage for Some Cornell Lab Services

Several Cornell Lab of Ornithology services will be unavailable beginning March 19 through 6:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time on March 21. This is a one-time disruption while we migrate more than 1.6 billion eBird observations and additional project data to new servers. After the move, our websites will ha

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Planned Outage for Some Cornell Lab Services

Several Cornell Lab of Ornithology services will be unavailable beginning March 19 through 6:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time on March 21. This is a one-time disruption while we migrate more than 1.6 billion eBird observations and additional project data to new servers. After the move, our websites will ha

macaulaylibrary.org

Thank you so much for this really helpful information. I had over 200 photos of sandplovers there and I am counting them as Greater based on them conforming exactly to the features provided. (Lifer )I don't think I'd have managed it without your help

Please may I further impose by providing pics of one bird as I wonder whether this one here might just be a possible Tibetan. I see a potentially less pointed bill, and a longer supercilium. Having said that it is a perhaps desperate hope rather than expectation of another lifer ☹️

 

[njlarsen]

The complete white ring going behind the neck makes this something else, not a sand plover. I will let those with local knowledge sort this one out.
Niels

 

[smiths]

That's a Kentish plover.

 

[Earnest lad]

The complete white ring going behind the neck makes this something else, not a sand plover. I will let those with local knowledge sort this one out.
Niels

Ah, yes I see now. Thank you.

 

[Earnest lad]

That's a Kentish plover.

Thank you for this helpful id

 

[Andy Adcock]

The complete white ring going behind the neck makes this something else, not a sand plover. I will let those with local knowledge sort this one out.
Niels

I commented on this in the other thread.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Bear in mind that columbinus, the smallest subspecies of Greater Sandplover Anarhynchus leschenaulti, has for decades been confused with A. a. atrifrons, nominate Siberian Sandplover to the extent that many earlier records in that general area have been expunged because the descriptions were inadequate for certainty to be expressed.
MJB

Surely, the easiest way to separate these two is leg colour?

 

[johnallcock]

Surely, the easiest way to separate these two is leg colour?

At least in East Asia, leg colour varies according to age and season (I don't know how much this also applies to columbinus and pamirensis). Also, it can be difficult to confirm if the legs are discolored by mud etc. There are differences but it's better to rely on a combination of features (structure, plumage) than to rely only on one feature.