General
Lesser Sand-Plover: Medium-sized plover with gray upperparts, white underparts, and bright rust-brown breast band and nape. Head has gray-brown cap and thick black eyestripe broken by a white forehead. Throat is white with a black border. Female is duller. Winter adult and juvenile lack breast bands.
Range and Habitat
Lesser Sand-Plover: Asian species; rare migrant on Aleutians and islands off western Alaska. Casual in summer in western and northwestern Alaska, where it has bred; accidental in eastern North America. Prefers tundra and alpine tundra for nesting; winters on coastal tidal flats, estuaries, and sandy beaches.
Breeding and Nesting
Lesser Sand-Plover: Three red buff to olive buff eggs spotted with brown and black are laid in a shallow ground hollow lined with dried vegetation and seeds, usually built near water. Incubation ranges from 24 to 27 days and is carried out by both parents. Young start to fly at 26 to 31 days. Sometimes raises two broods per year.
Foraging and Feeding
Lesser Sand-Plover: Feeds on insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and worms; forages on the ground.
Vocalization
Lesser Sand-Plover: Utters a short, soft, low-pitched "kruit-kruit."
Similar Species
Lesser Sand-Plover: In winter, Little Ringed Plover has pale legs and white collar.