Field Guide
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Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricaria
Not yet photographed by the community
Golden-spangled; haunting melodic call over upland moors.
Species Profile
Amber List (breeding population declining; winter visitors remain stable)
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 26–29 cm, wingspan 67–76 cm; 150–220 g
- Habitat
- Open moorlands, upland grasslands, and wet boggy areas during breeding season; coastal mudflats and grasslands in winter.
- UK Distribution
- Breeds in the Scottish Highlands, Peak District, and parts of Wales and northern England. Migratory populations winter on UK coasts and estuaries; numbers increase significantly in winter with arrivals from northern Europe.
- Diet
- Primarily insects and invertebrates including beetle larvae, earthworms, and spiders; also some small seeds and vegetation.
- Predators
- Fox, stoat, and corvids (carrion crow, raven); eggs and chicks also vulnerable to lapwing and other ground predators.
- Mating Season
- April to July
- Breeding
- Clutch of 4 eggs (occasionally 3–5); incubation period of 27–30 days; typically single-brooded; chicks fledge at 25–35 days.
- Behaviour
- Highly social, especially in winter, forming flocks that can number hundreds on coastal areas. Performs an elaborate tumbling display flight during breeding season with distinctive trilling calls. Often feeds by running and pausing to peck at prey.
- •Golden Plovers can perform a spectacular aerial display called a 'butterfly flight' with slow wingbeats and a haunting, melancholic call during breeding season.
- •They are one of the few UK wading birds that breed on upland moorlands rather than coastal areas.
- •In winter, UK breeding birds migrate to Spain, Portugal, and North Africa, whilst continental birds move to the UK coast.
- •Their Latin name 'apricaria' means 'of apricots', referring to the golden-apricot colouration of their summer plumage.
- •Golden Plovers can navigate using polarised light from the sky, aiding their long-distance migrations across Europe.
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