Adults: Breeding: Forehead, white, sometimes with a narrow black line at base of bill. Eyestripe, from lores to ear, black. Forecrown, black. Eyebrow, short, white, connecting across crown forming a white posterior border to the black forecrown. Eye, dark brown. Eyering, yellow and broad. Crown, hind neck, back, rump, uppertail coverts, wing coverts, greyish-brown, greater coverts lightly edged white forming an inconspicuous wing bar. A narrow collar, white, and bordered behind by black, which continues forming a narrow black breast band. Tail, greyish-brown, distal half becoming black with a white tip, outmost feathers nearly all white. Throat, breast, belly, undertail coverts, underwing, white. Bill, black, with base of lower mandible yellow. Legs, yellow or pale pink. Non-breeding: Black of head replaced with brown or blackish-brown. Eyebrow, buff. Forehead, buff. Breastband browner or mixed black and brown and incomplete.
Immatures: Similar to non-breeding adult, but head markings less distinct, buff edges to back feathers and buff feathers in breast band. Legs, pale yellowish.
Derivation
Cha-rad'-ri-us - Gk, charadrios, valley bird: dubius - L., uncertain, doubtful (Scopoli, the first describer, was uncertain whether the bird was a distinct species)
Breeds in Europe and across most of Asia, migrating to Africa, south-east Asia, the Philippines and New Guinea. A rare but regular vagrant to Australia.
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) [XC810795]
by MILLON Xavier from Offenbach (near Neu-Isenburg), Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany (call)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) [XC832167]
by Jose Ignacio Molina from laguna del rinc\u00f3n, c\u00f3rdoba, andaluc\u00eda, Spain (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in Europe and Asia, mainly March - July, but varies with location.
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Nest
A shallow scrape on the ground, near water, sparsely lined with stones.
Eggs (Guide)
4; not glossy, buff or stone with many brown spots and streaks. Incubation: about 25 days.
Subspecies
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
dubius Scopoli, 1786 - Philippines south to New Guinea.
curonicus Gmelin, JF, 1789 - Eurasia from Britain to northern China and Japan.
jerdoni (Legge, 1880) - India and south-eastern Asia.
Similar Species
Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Has a shorter, thicker yellow bill with a distinctive black tip. Head is broader. Legs, shorter and yellow orange. In flight, a white wing bar is visable. Breastband is complete or nearly complete.
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops)
Larger. Breeding with adult Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops). Eyebrow is longer and forms a thin white collar. Forehead is black. Eyering is red. Bill is longer, thicker and red with a black tip. Breastand is shaped like a V on the lower as opposed to upper breast.
Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus)
Similar size. Non-breeding with female Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus). Has an all black bill. Face is whiter. Lacks a white collar. Lacks a breastband. Legs, shorter and black.
Double-banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus)
Larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Has a longer, thinner all black bill. Lacks a white collar. Remnants of two breast bands may be visible. Legs, dull yellow grey or grey green.
Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Slightly larger. Juveniles and non-breeding individuals with a broken breast band. Has a complete white collar but without the dark border. A slightly longer and heavier bill.
Double-banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus) is a winter visitor to Australia so only likely during late spring. Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) is a very rare vagrant to Australia. Top End, NT coast (November 1988).
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
BirdLife International Species Factsheet