Medium large. Long wings, neck and legs. Sexes similar.
Male: Breeding: Upperparts, greyish-brown. Tail, darker distally with white outer feathers. Eye, dark brown. Eyebrow, white and distinct. Forehead, face, sides of neck, throat, white, with contrasting brown crown, nape and ear coverts. Flight feathers, dark brown with pale wing bar on inner primaries. Breastband, chestnut bordered above by a thin black line and below by black. Belly, undertail coverts, white. Underwing, whitish linings contrasting with brown undersides of flight feathers. Bill, black. Legs, usually olive grey, but can be pinkish, yellow or yellow brown to slate grey. Non-breeding: All black/dark brown of face and chestnut replaced by greyish-brown.
Female: Breeding: Like male but breast paler and lacks the black band. Non-breeding: All black/dark brown of face and chestnut replaced by greyish-brown.
Immatures: Like non-breeding adult. Feathers of upperparts have buff or rufous fringes giving a scaled appearance.
Other Names (World)
Caspian Plover, Caspian Sandplover, Lesser Oriental Plover
Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Botswana, Burundi, China (mainland), Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (P), Iraq (P), Israel, Jordan (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan (P), Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Oman, Qatar, Russia (European) (B), Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Turkmenistan (B), Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan (B), Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Vagrant to Australia, Cameroon, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cyprus, Djibouti, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Lebanon, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Russia (Central Asian), Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Kingdom.
Population
Estimated population is 40,000 - 55,000 (2010).
Status LC
The main threate is destruction of natural steppe and grassland though overgrazing and conversion to intensive agricultural practices, especially within the European (breeding) part of its range.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Primarily carnivorous. During breeding season takes mainly adult and larval insects, such as beetles, ants, grasshoppers, bugs, caterpillars and flies, although it will occasionally take plant material. During non-breeding season takes beetles, termites, grasshoppers and small snails.
Caspian Plover (Charadrius asiaticus) [XC758521]
by id from Chikuni, Bangweulu, Zambia (call)
Caspian Plover (Charadrius asiaticus) [XC399779]
by Dries Van de Loock from Kajiado County, Kenya (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in the eastern Caspian region.
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Nest
A shallow scrape on open ground or amongst low vegetation.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Oriental Plover (Charadrius veredus), and possibly with Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus). Formerly treated as conspecific with Oriental Plover (Charadrius veredus).
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Oriental Plover (Charadrius veredus)
Slightly larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. In flight, upper wing lacks a pale wing bar on inner primaries, and under wing is more uniform grey brown. Legs, yellowish or pinkish yellow.
Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)
Larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Breastband smaller and browner. Bill, thicker, with a bulbous tip. Legs, mostly pale greenish grey but variable from yellowish to almost black. Lacks a white eyebrow.
Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
Larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Upperparts, golden buff to cream spots. Breast, golden-brown to cream, mottled grey. Legs, grey-black.
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Upperparts, brownish grey with white tips and edges to feathers. Face, breast, white mottled or finely streaked with brownish grey. Underwing, white, with black axillaries. Legs, black.
Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella)
Larger. Breeding with breeding. The chestnut of the breast extends to the belly. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Generally sandier upperparts. Rump is white. Tail is short and black. Bill is very short, decurved, red with a black tip. Lacks a white eyebrow.
Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum)
Larger. Non-breeding with non-breeding. Rump is white. Tail is forked. Bill is very short, decurved, scarlet with a black tip. Lacks a white eyebrow.
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