American Golden-Plover

Pluvialis dominicaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Plovers (Charadriidae)

Codes: Common Name: AMGP Scientific Name: PLUDOM ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176564

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Overview

American Golden-Plover: Medium sandpiper with black face, underparts. Back is dark brown with yellow spots; has a white S-shaped mark along head and sides. Markings provide camouflage to blend in with tundra breeding grounds. Bill is black, thin, and short. Swift direct flight on rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

American Golden-Plover: Among the widest ranging birds in the world, this species breeds on tundra from Alaska east to Baffin Island and migrates south over the Atlantic Ocean from Canadian Maritimes to South America; some birds winter on islands in Pacific and appear along west coast during migration. Preferred habitats include shores and prairies.

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ku-wheep"

Interesting Facts

The American Golden-Plover annually performs one of the longest migrations of any American bird. They fly up to 20,000 miles per year, usually including a nonstop flight of 3,000-3,500 miles over the Atlantic. They may be capable of maintaining seeds in their digestive tract to help them survive these long flights.

Weighing in at less than 0.5 pound, they are considered the fastest flying shorebird, reaching speeds of 60 mph.

Large numbers were shot in the late 1800s and their population has never fully recovered. Accounts of these plovers blanketing the sky suggest that they may have once numbered in the millions. In 1821, an estimated 48,000 birds were shot in a single day as they migrated north over New Orleans. Although hunting has almost stopped, habitat destruction across the winter range bars the possibility of recovery to original population levels.

A group of plovers has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "congregation", "deceit", "ponderance" and "wing" of plovers.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

American Golden-Plover

● Song: "ku-wheep"

● Foraging & Feeding: American Golden-Plover: Diet consists mainly of mosquitoes, butterflies, other insects, small mollusks, and crustaceans.

● Breeding & nesting: American Golden-Plover: Three to four black- and brown-spotted, white to buff eggs are arranged in a circle with narrow ends pointing to the center to help keep them warm. Incubation lasts 27 days and is carried out by both parents in turn; male by day, female at night. Nest is a scrape on the ground in tundra, lined with moss and leaves.

● Similar species: American Golden-Plover: Pacific Golden-Plover has shorter bill, longer tertials, and less contrasting crown. Mountain Plover appears plainer overall without markings on lower breast or belly and has pale legs. In winter, Black-bellied Plover is similar but has black axillaries and white rump.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with steady quick wing beats.

American Golden-Plover Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: American Golden-Plover: Among the widest ranging birds in the world, this species breeds on tundra from Alaska east to Baffin Island and migrates south over the Atlantic Ocean from Canadian Maritimes to South America; some birds winter on islands in Pacific and appear along west coast during migration. Preferred habitats include shores and prairies.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight5.1 Ounces

Sandpiper-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America