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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Charadriidae
  4. ›
  5. Pluvialis
  6. ›
  7. Grey Plover
Grey Plover
Photo · (c) Andrew Allen, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Grey Plover

Pluvialis squatarola(Linnaeus, 1758)

Updated 21 March 2026

Also known asBilin-bilin

Conservation status: VulnerableOrigin: Native
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Charadriidae
Genus
Pluvialis

At a glance

The Grey Plover is a medium-sized bird, about 27–31 cm long, listed as Vulnerable and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
27–31 cm
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Grey Plover look like?

The Grey Plover is a medium-sized bird, about 27–31 cm long and weighing 174–330 g.

The grey plover or black-bellied plover is a large plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
27–31 cm
Weight
174–330 g
Wingspan
71 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Grey Plover?

The Grey Plover is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Grey Plover eat?

The Grey Plover feeds on intertidal invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

2 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Grey Plover live in Australia?

The Grey Plover is native to Australia, recorded across 52 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingNA, PAL : high (locally low) Arctic coasts and is. (except Ellesmere I., Greenland, Scandinavia and is. from Svalbard to Severnaya Zemlya)

Non-breedingWorldwide, temperate to tropical coasts (except remote is.)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Resident
  • Passage

8 regions recorded