|
Charadrius mongolus (Lesser
sand plover, Mongolian plover)
Mongoolse strandkiewiet [Afrikaans]; Kleine
woestijnplevier, Mongoolse plevier [Dutch]; Pluvier de Mongolie [French];
Mongolenregenpfeifer [German]; Borrelho-mongol [Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) >
Order: Charadriiformes > Family: Charadriidae
> Genus: Charadrius
Distribution and habitat
Breeds in patches of the mountains from central and
north-eastern Asia to Siberia, heading south in the non-breeding season to the
Persian Gulf, southern Asia, Australia and the east coast of Africa. It is a
rare summer visitor to the east coast of southern Africa, while it is a vagrant
to coastal Western Cape and Namibia. It generally prefers intertidal and
estuarine mudflats, sandy beaches and shores with sand dunes.
|
 |
|
Distribution of Lesser sand plover in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common).
See here for the latest distribution
from the SABAP2. |
Movements and migrations
Palearctic breeding migrant, present in
southern Africa from July-May (mainly November-March).
Food
It mainly eats small invertebrates, foraging by day and
night using the typical technique of plovers, running, stopping then
searching for prey to pluck from the ground, then repeating the process.
Threats
Not threatened.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
|
