White-fronted Plover

White-fronted Plover
White-fronted Plover
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadriidae
Genus: Charadrius
Species: C. marginatus
Binomial name
Charadrius marginatus
Vieillot, 1818

The White-fronted Plover or White-fronted Sandplover, Charadrius marginatus, is a small wader. This plover is resident in much of Africa south of the Sahara on rocky, sandy or muddy coasts and large inland rivers and lakes.

Adults are 16–18 cm in length, and are paler than similar species. The breeding adult has medium brown upperparts, with a white hind neck collar and a brilliant white forehead extending back in a conspicuous wedge between the eye and the crown. There is a black line through the eye and a black frontal bar to the crown. The underparts are white with a variable cream or buff wash to the breast. There may be rufous patches on the breast sides. The bill is black and the legs yellowish-grey.

Non-breeding adults are greyer than the breeding birds, and the black head marking are replaced by brown. The frontal bar may be absent in some females. The juvenile White-fronted Plover resembles the non-breeding adult, but has white underparts and no black on the head.

The White-fronted Plover's breeding habitat is sandy beaches; the eggs are laid directly on the sand, and may be buried. The adults will take water to the nest in their breast feathers. It feeds actively with fast runs like a Sanderling, usually hunting by sight for insects, crustaceans and worms. This is a gregarious species which forms flocks, often with other waders.

The call is a clear wiit, and there is a tukut alarm note.

Subspecies

There are four or five subspecies, which vary in the colour shade of the neck collar and breast:

  • C. marginatus arenaceus (Clancey, 197)1 - S Mozambique to SW Cape.
  • C. marginatus marginatus (Vieillot, 1818) - S Angola to SW Cape.
  • C. marginatus mechowi (Cabanis, 1884) - locally in Africa S of Sahara to N Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and N Mozambique.
  • C. marginatus tenellus (Hartlaub, 1861) - Madagascar.[1]
  • C. marginatus pons (not accepted by all authorities)[2]

References

  1. ^ IBC.lynxeds.com
  2. ^ Avibase.bsc-eoc.org

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • white-fronted plover — baltakaktis kirlikas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Charadrius marginatus angl. white fronted plover vok. Weißstirn Regenpfeifer, m rus. белолобый зуёк, m pranc. pluvier à front blanc, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Plover — For other uses, see Plover (disambiguation). Plovers Killdeer Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Red-capped Plover — Male in breeding plumage …   Wikipedia

  • List of African birds — This list of African birds is a listing of all the bird species known from the continent of Africa. TOCrightNotesThere are over 45 billion different species of birds in Africa.The taxonomy of this list adheres to James Clitorus Birds of the World …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Kenya — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Kenya. The avifauna of Kenya includes a total of 1132 species, of which seven are endemic, six have been introduced by humans, and three are rare or accidental. One species listed is extirpated in… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Tanzania — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Tanzania. The avifauna of Tanzania includes a total of 1108 species, of which 23 are endemic, 4 have been introduced by humans, and 43 are rare or accidental. 36 species are globally threatened.This… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Sudan — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Sudan. The avifauna of Sudan includes a total of 1013 species, of which 3 are endemic, 1 has been introduced by humans, and 4 are rare or accidental. 10 species are globally threatened.This list s… …   Wikipedia

  • Wildlife of Uganda — The Wildlife of Uganda includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats.Uganda has 364 species of mammals and 1062 species of birds.ConservationWCS began conservation work in Uganda through conducting biological surveys of savanna parks in …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Angola — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Angola. The avifauna of Angola includes a total of 983 species, of which 14 are endemic, 1 has been introduced by humans, and 4 are rare or accidental. 20 species are globally threatened.This list s… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Ethiopia — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Ethiopia. The avifauna of Ethiopia includes a total of 924 species, of which 23 are endemic and 3 are rare or accidental.This list s taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”