Adults: Breeding: Upperparts, wing coverts, dark with gold speckling (courser than that of American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)). Eye, dark brown. Throat, breast, belly, undertail coverts, black. White line running from forehead, eyebrow along flanks to undertail, with white black markings on the flanks. Underwing lining, dark grey. An indistinct wing bar. Bill, black. Legs, black to blackish-grey. When standing wing tips project slightly beyond tail tip. Toes usually project beyond tail in flight. Non-breeding: Upperparts to tail dark, with golden buff to cream spots. Lores, eyestripe, whitish. Sides of face, breast, golden-brown to cream, mottled or streaked with greyish-brow, the mottling extending into upper belly and flanks. Throat, belly, undertail coverts, whitish with faint mottling. Underwing, axillaries, greyish-brown. An indistinct wing bar. Bill, black. Legs, black to blackish-grey.
Juveniles: Similar to non-breeding adult, but duller above, and more speckled. Underparts has finer grey scallops.
Other Names (World)
Pacific Golden Plover, Pacific Golden-Plover, Eastern Golden Plover, Lesser Golden Plover, Asian Golden Plover, Asiatic Golden Plover, Least Golden Plover
American Samoa, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China (mainland), Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Fiji, French Polynesia, Gabon, Guam (NB), Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Iran [Islamic Republic of], Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan (P), Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands (NB), Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia [Federated States of] (NB), Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands (NB), Oman, Pakistan, Palau (NB), Papua New Guinea, Philippines (NB), Qatar, Russia (Asian), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan (China), Tajikistan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Thailand, Timor-Leste (NB) (P), Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands (NB), USA (B), Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Yemen.
Vagrant to Afghanistan, Algeria, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Burundi, Chile, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iraq (NB), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Zambia.
North-central and north-eastern Russia, from Yamal Peninsula to Chukotskiy Peninsula and southern across Koryakskiy highlands to northern Kamchatka; western Alaska. Winters from eastern Africa through southern Asia and Indonesia to Oceania, Australia and New Zealand; small numbers in southern California.
Habits
Singly but more usually in small parties or large flocks.
Food
Molluscs, worms, insects, crustaceans, spiders. Occasionally seeds, leaves, lizards, bird's eggs and small fish.
Voice
Plaintive, soft, clear whistled 'chu-vit' uttered in flight and on the ground. A more drawn-out 'tu-ee', 'kyo-bee' or 'chu-veee'. Less commonly a 'chu-ee-uh'. A slow series of well-spaced slurred whistles 'chuvee chooeee...' uttered in display flight.
Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) [XC765922]
by Stanislas Wroza from Zavkhan, Uvs, Mongolia (flight call)
Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) [XC765843]
by Stanislas Wroza from Zavkhan, Uvs, Mongolia (flight call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in northern hemisphere.
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Nest
A shallow scrape positioned on a dry site amongst hummocks, lichen, or moss. Often returns to the same nest cup or to within 100 m of a nest-site of the previous year.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) and previously considered conspecific.
No subspecies.
Similar Species
American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)
Slightly larger. Breeding: Upperparts, wing coverts, dark with gold speckling that is finer. Throat, breast, belly, undertail coverts, totally black. White line running from forehead, eyebrow, to sides of breast. Underwing lining, pale grey. When standing wing tips project noticeably beyond tail tip. Non-breeding: Body appears greyer.
Eurasian Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Slightly larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Belly, flanks, white, the breastband shows a cut-off with the lower breast. Underwings, pure white.
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Slightly larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Upperparts, brownish grey with white tips and edges to feathers. Legs, black. Underwing lining white, with black axillaries. Has a white rump and barred tail.
Oriental Plover (Charadrius veredus)
Smaller. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Lacks mottling on upperparts and breast. Legs, yellowish or pinkish yellow.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet