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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Charadriidae
  4. ›
  5. Charadrius
  6. ›
  7. Little Ringed Plover

BirdUp · Species

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubiusScopoli, 1786

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Vagrant
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Charadriidae
Genus
Charadrius

At a glance

The Little Ringed Plover is a small bird, about 14–17 cm long, listed as Least Concern. It can be seen year-round.

Size
14–17 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Vagrant
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Little Ringed Plover look like?

The Little Ringed Plover is a small bird, about 14–17 cm long and weighing 26–53 g.

The little ringed plover is a small plover native to the Old World. It has mostly brown upperparts, a black neckband and a black mask around the eye with a noticeable yellow eyering. Its forehead, belly and the rest of the breast are white. A migratory species, it breeds in open gravel areas near freshwater, including gravel pits, islands and river edges. Its diet consists mainly of insects and worms, which it forages for in muddy areas.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
14–17 cm
Weight
26–53 g
Wingspan
42 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Little Ringed Plover?

The Little Ringed 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 Little Ringed Plover eat?

The Little Ringed Plover feeds on terrestrial invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Little Ringed Plover live in Australia?

The Little Ringed Plover is found in Australia, recorded across 7 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingPAL, OR : widespread inland subarctic to tropical zones: Eurasia, Indian subcontinent, south-east Asia, Philippines, New Guinea and Bismarck Arch.

Non-breedingSub-Saharan west-central to north-east and east-central Africa; Middle East; south and south-east Asia and Indonesian Arch.

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Vagrant
  • Breeding

7 regions recorded