Field Guide
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Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticula
Not yet photographed by the community
Bold black-and-white face; orange legs; sandy beach nester.
Species Profile
Green List (UK)
- Lifespan
- 8–10 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 19–21 cm, wingspan 42–49 cm; 33–63 g
- Habitat
- Sandy or shingle beaches, estuaries, coastal flats, and inland gravel pits and lakes with sparse vegetation.
- UK Distribution
- Found around the entire UK coast; breeds primarily in Scotland, Northern England, and Wales. Northern populations are migratory, wintering in West Africa; southern birds are largely resident year-round, with numbers boosted by continental migrants in winter.
- Diet
- Feeds on small invertebrates including beetles, flies, spiders, small crustaceans, and marine worms picked from the ground or shallow water.
- Predators
- Foxes, stoats, rats, corvids (crows and magpies), and raptors such as Merlin and Peregrine Falcon; eggs and chicks vulnerable to gulls and skuas.
- Mating Season
- April to August
- Breeding
- Clutch of 4 eggs (occasionally 3), incubation period 24–25 days, fledging at 24–25 days. Typically one brood per year, occasionally two. Nests in simple scrapes on open ground.
- Behaviour
- Highly territorial during breeding season with distinctive distraction displays to protect nests and chicks. Uses characteristic 'run-stop-peck' foraging technique. Often seen in small flocks outside breeding season, sometimes mixing with other wader species.
- •The black and white head markings of breeding males intensify in spring through feather abrasion, revealing brighter plumage beneath
- •Ringed Plovers perform elaborate 'broken wing' distraction displays, dragging their wings and calling to lure predators away from their nests
- •Despite their small size, they undertake remarkable trans-Saharan migrations, with some northern UK birds wintering in sub-Saharan Africa
- •Their eyes are positioned high on their heads, allowing them to forage with their head down while still maintaining vigilance for predators
- •They are highly sensitive to human disturbance during breeding season; beach nesting sites often require seasonal closures to protect them
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