White-fronted Plover

Anarhynchus marginatus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesCoastalScrapeSmall · 48 g

ID tip

The average white-fronted plover weighs approximately 45-50 g, and the two sexes differ slightly in plumage coloration. Adult male plovers show a white forecrown and supercilium, with a dark band crossing the mid crown, with the rest of the crown a sandy grey colour. The face is mainly white, with a blackish brown stripe running from behind the eye to the ear coverts. The mantle, back, and rump is light greyish brown, with pale brown to grey fringing feathers. The upper covert and central feathers of the tail are black, and the lateral feathers are white. Voice: The voice of a white-fronted plover is often a gentle piping wit, woo-et, twirit, and tirit-tirit, as well as pi-peep. When a plover is defending a territory, a harsh chiza-chiza can be heard, followed by a purrr or squeak. When the incomplete egg set is visited, a croo sound is called, and during incubation a short clirrup sound or clup is made when alarmed.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

About the White-fronted Plover

The white-fronted plover or white-fronted sandplover is a small shorebird of the family Charadriidae that inhabits sandy beaches, dunes, mudflats and the shores of rivers and lakes in sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar. It nests in small shallow scrapes in the ground and lays clutches of one to three eggs. The species is monogamous and long-lived, with a life expectancy of approximately 12 years. The vast majority of pairs that mate together stay together during the following years of breeding and retain the same territory. The white-fronted plover has a similar appearance to the Kentish plover, with a white fore crown and dark bands connecting the eyes to the bill.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Tibetan Sand Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Siberian Sand Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Double-banded Plover vs White-fronted Plover · White-fronted Plover vs Wilson's Plover · Two-banded Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Puna Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Kittlitz's Plover vs White-fronted Plover · St. Helena Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Red-capped Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Snowy Plover vs White-fronted Plover · Malaysian Plover vs White-fronted Plover

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