Pacific Golden-Plover

Pluvialis fulvaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Plovers (Charadriidae)

Codes: Common Name: PAGP Scientific Name: PLUFUL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554381

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Overview

Pacific Golden-Plover: Medium plover, yellow-spotted, dark brown back, black face, and black underparts with white-mottled flanks; a white S-shaped mark extends from above the eye to along sides. Bill is black, thin, and short. Black legs, feet. Swift direct flight with rapid, steady wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Pacific Golden-Plover: Breeds from northern Siberia to western Alaska. Winters from southern Asia to Pacific islands, but a few occur on the west coast and in central California. Preferred habitats include coastal mudflats and lagoons, sandy beaches, ploughed fields and short grasslands.

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chu-wheet"

Interesting Facts

The Pacific Golden-Plover was once considered conspecific with the American Golden Plover under the name Lesser Golden Plover.

After breeding in the Arctic, they migrate to spend winter almost half way around the world. Some winter on tiny islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a feat which requires precise navigation.

The name plover comes from the French word meaning "the rain bird". In Europe, flocks of migratory plovers historically arrived at the beginning of the autumn rainy season.

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

Bird Term Glossary

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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.

Pacific Golden-Plover

● Song: "chu-wheet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pacific Golden-Plover: Diet includes terrestrial invertebrates, berries, leaves and seeds as well as some freshwater and marine invertebrates; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Pacific Golden-Plover: Four white to buff eggs marked with brown and black are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with moss, grass, and dead leaves. Nest is built by the male; incubation is carried out by both parents for about 25 days. Young start to fly at 26 to 28 days.

● Similar species: Pacific Golden-Plover: American Golden-Plover has solid black flanks and undertail, thicker bill, and longer legs; female has brown cheek patch; winter adult and juvenile are more gray.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Pacific Golden-Plover: Breeds from northern Siberia to western Alaska. Winters from southern Asia to Pacific islands, but a few occur on the west coast and in central California. Preferred habitats include coastal mudflats and lagoons, sandy beaches, ploughed fields and short grasslands.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationCommon to fairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight5.4 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