Habitat
Clear, firm sand, mud or gravel shores for nesting, foraging and roosting, edges of inland freshwater lakes, temporary or muddy pools and rivers, streams with shingle banks, rice-paddies and the margins of artificial water-bodies. Also the coast on the edges of intertidal mudflats, sandy beaches, coastal lagoons, estuaries, tidal pools, and mangroves.
Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricollaris) [XC834873]
by Andrew Spencer from Limpopo River, Botswana (call)
Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricollaris) [XC681035]
by isaac kilusu from Florisbad Quaternary Research station, vlei area, Soutpan, Free State, South Africa (call)
Nest
A simple scrape placed on sand, dry mud, shingle or on rocks close to water.
Subspecies
Form superspecies with Forbes's Plover (Charadrius forbesi) and sometimes considered conspecific.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
tricollaris Vieillot, 1818 - Ethiopia to Tanzania and Gabon, and south to South Africa. Non-breeding also around L Chad.
bifrontatus Cabanis, 1882 - Madagascar. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Madagascar Three-banded Plover (Charadrius bifrontatus).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet