Under the golden plover is meant a bird that easily tolerates temperature changes and cold climates in particular. She is not endowed with a fluffy and elongated tail, unlike relatives. The plover lives in Iceland, in this country the local people believe that the feathered individual signals the imminent approach of spring. A migratory bird does not differ in its large size, however, it flies quickly. Let's take a look at everything related to this breed variety.

View features

1. Individuals of the presented group belong to the charadriiformes. They belong to the genus of plovers and the family of plovers. Experts specified that today there are about 4 varieties of individuals. Golden birds belong to the southerners, they live in the corresponding territory.
2. These birds are not large in size, they are rather medium in size. Individuals grow to almost 30 cm with a body weight (maximum) of 210 gr. According to the wingspan, the indicators vary between 65-75 cm.
3. According to their external characteristics, it may seem that these birds are clumsy. They have a small round head, thin, as if unstable legs, and a massive physique. However, in reality, plovers are agile and fast.
4. As for the number of these individuals, about 4 thousand heads live in the open spaces of our homeland. When the migratory period begins (autumn, spring), about half a thousand individuals fly over Russia.
5. The population is declining as hunting develops, as well as the development of new lands by man. There are fewer places for birds to build nests for their offspring. Due to the fact that the range is shrinking, this variety was listed in the Red Book.

habitation

1. These birds prefer to live in wetlands, mountainous parts, in the tundra and in wastelands. They are very common in Europe, in its northern territory. For wintering they go to the south side, as well as to the British Isles.
2. Often individuals are found in England, Iceland and even Siberia. It is interesting that this species is practically not found in Central Europe, it can be said that in this part the population of individuals has greatly decreased.
3. Behavior can be observed for a long time, especially if the birds are in the coastal shallows. When the tides come in, these areas give in to flooding, and then after low tide, you can find a lot of food here. Birds do this.

Description

1. The color of the body depends on the territory of residence of individuals, as well as their gender and age category. The shade of plumage changes throughout existence. In the upper part, namely the areas of the tail, neck, head and back, the feathers have a brownish-gray plumage with golden markings. It helps individuals to merge with the environment, disguising themselves from enemies.
2. When mating games begin, individuals of the male sex are transformed. Their black feathers are framed with a white border. A dark spot originates in the throat area, which stretches through the abdominal region to the tail zone. Such a contrast attracts birds of the opposite sex and helps to determine which individual is in front of the eyes.
3. The female representatives also have a speck of a dark tone in the abdominal section. However, it is rather loose than dense and patterned. Coloring lasts until the end of the mating season, usually the second half of August. With the passage of time, the feathers become dull, replaced by winter attire.
4. When the nesting period begins, there is still an apron on the chest and abdomen. But at the beginning of autumn, the feathers replace each other, the bird is completely ready for flight and wintering.
5. Juveniles have a different plumage pigmentation. The chicks in the abdominal part are covered with the most delicate whitish feathers. On the back there are golden-gray markings with stripes of white tone. In young animals, the color is yellow in the abdomen and brisket. Dark spots are found on this part.

1. It is worth noting that plovers will not be able to compete, for example, with a nightingale. However, these birds have a charming song with many interesting sounds. When the male starts to sing, he thereby attracts the female. This is called tokenization.
2. During the mating season, the male rises high into the air and begins to lek. At the same time, he beautifully and widely flaps his wings. We can say that a beautiful marriage song always consists of two parts (verses). In the first case, the male tries to make beautiful and rather complex whistles.
3. This part can be called leisurely and the most beautiful. Here the sounds are repeated many times. At the same time, pauses can be seen between them. The second part is a little rushed. The sounds are non-stop. At the same time, the whistles are quite interesting.
4. When individuals begin to worry in their home, the whistle may resemble a sad and annoying intonation. In this case, you can notice monotonous, monosyllabic and multiple sounds. It is with the same cries that individuals call to each other when they are in a flock.

Nutrition

1. Individuals have a fairly varied diet. The main part of the menu of such birds is worms, insects and snails. Such food in abundance can be obtained in the ground. Often, the presented birds prefer dragonflies, various larvae, spiders and beetles.
2. Also, plovers are often interrupted by medium-sized locusts. When the season of migration comes, such birds often make stops for rest. At this time, they mainly feed on crustaceans and all kinds of mollusks. As for plant foods, it is present in a small amount in the diet of plovers. Birds eat marsh berries, seeds and green plants.

Lifestyle

1. Separately, it is worth mentioning that individuals mainly live in colonies. At the same time, other species of birds are also present in such flocks. Often there are snails and curlews. Birds return to nesting sites in early spring.
2. In most cases, plovers arrange their nests in the ground in the form of recesses. Often, birds build their homes at the foot of pines and on marshy hummocks. It is worth noting that birds avoid grassy areas and water bodies nearby.
3. Among other things, birds are in no hurry to settle down on dried lands, where all vegetation has practically disappeared. Almost all individuals under consideration return to last year's nesting sites. Also in the spring, the mating season begins, and pairs are formed.
4. Birds go to get food in the daytime. If there is not enough food, such individuals may well go hunting in the evening. Birds begin to migrate to their usual habitats from early spring to mid-April. Birds migrate to warmer climes in November.

Golden plovers reach sexual maturity and travel to nesting sites in their second year of life. As for the younger individuals, they wander all summer from one place to another. After building a nest, birds line it with a thick layer of down and plant material. A clutch can contain up to 4 eggs.

Video: golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria)

They have different habitats and ways of surviving, but they have one thing in common: a small to medium body size and rather long legs, neck and wings. This group also includes plover family.

Among them are such varieties as:

• golden plovers;
• brown-winged plovers;
• tules.

Despite the general species similarity in behavior and appearance, these also have some differences. Thus, speaking about the habits of plovers, as a rule, it should be clarified which particular subspecies is in question.

Features and habitat of the plover

Representatives of the plover family prefer to live in the cold spots of the world. Their habitat range extends throughout the north of Russia, Canada and Alaska, and in some places reaches the Arctic Circle.

You can also see such a bird in the Scandinavian countries and in northern Germany. Previously, they were found in Central Europe in greater numbers, but now you can only meet her there by chance.

Like a bird desert, plover chooses flat large spaces where it can move by running and short flights. This is how she behaves when she does not need to make winter trips to warmer climes.

In winter, these birds make long flights and then prefer to wait out the coldest months in England, Argentina, as well as on the coasts and meadows belonging to the territories of Western Europe.

Sometimes they linger even in the Caucasus and Central America. Traditionally, different types of plovers prefer different directions of flight. For example, the brown-winged species prefers to settle in Argentina, but the golden plover is quite satisfied with wintering in relatively cold England.

Plover lives in the tundra and marshy meadows and fields, prefers the banks of water bodies. Sometimes plovers choose for life even lands flooded with water during a flood. This allows them to find food.

The nature and lifestyle of the plover

The golden plover is a medium-sized representative of the shorebird family. It has a large beak capable of splitting hard objects, such as medium-sized shells.

The color of her feathers is gray-brown, but in spring the males have a much brighter color. This bird spends its entire life in cold, and often also swampy areas, in which, like most waders, it runs very quickly, periodically snatching prey with its beak.

For the winter, the plover makes flights, as a rule, remaining within Northern Europe. Often she chooses England for wintering. The speed of the golden plover in flight reaches 50 km/h.

The brown-winged plover outwardly, oddly enough, is much brighter than the golden one. In her plumage there are the most colorful combinations. She has a white stripe across her back, and her tail does have the same golden hue.

In many ways, she leads the same lifestyle as her sister, but she makes much longer flights. At the same time, on the way, the brown-winged plover does not look for food or food, and practically does not stop until it reaches the coast of South America.

Tules is another species of shorebird, which is often isolated due to its large size compared to other species of these birds. However, he is close relative of the plover common and belongs to the same family.

It has a rather bright white-brown or black-and-white color and prefers food from aquatic inhabitants, therefore it lives much closer to water bodies than other subspecies. However, he also obtains food either by quick throws while running, or by short dives.

Nutrition

golden plover It eats a wide variety of insects, from dragonflies to beetles. She does not disdain snails, but at the same time - all kinds of larvae, cocoons and eggs. When the golden plover has to migrate during the cold of winter, it settles on the English coasts and feeds on crustaceans.

Sometimes the golden plover also pecks at the seeds of plants, their berries and green shoots. In general, its diet of all species of shorebirds can be considered the most diverse. brown-winged plover she also prefers to eat insects, snails and crustaceans, but she rarely eats parts of plants.

Moreover, as a rule, in her diet, when she still pays attention to plants, the main place is occupied by berries. She is interested in shoots and seeds much less than golden.

Tules, in turn, pays more attention to snails, mollusks and invertebrates. He also eats plants to a lesser extent than golden plover, usually by eating only their seeds or berries.

Reproduction and lifespan of plover

Plover - a bird, equipping its nests in small pits on the ground in the middle of an open space, and this applies to all representatives of the species. Nests are lined with down, but not too thick. As a rule, both parents participate in incubation of eggs, one of which, if necessary, stays with the nest, and the other gets food and takes the predators aside.

However, often only the female remains on the nest, and the male watches what is happening around from somewhere above. This allows the plovers to notice the danger in time and react appropriately.

The golden plover and thules usually have four eggs in the nest, all brownish in color, which can also be pinkish or golden, and can vary to almost black, often with dark spots in the lower part, near the blunt end.

They do not lay eggs immediately, but within two days, sometimes with rather noticeable interruptions. The brown-winged plover lays only two or three eggs, and they are all white with black spots.

The average period of incubation of eggs in different species of plovers is from 23 to 30 days, after which the chicks hatch fully capable of self-feeding, although covered with soft fluff. After a period of a month to one and a half, they finally mature and leave the nest. The development cycle lasts the longest in the golden plover, and it is the shortest in the brown-winged plover.

Plover chick

Like any sandpiper, plover has a rather limited lifespan. Until now, the maximum officially recorded life span of the golden plover is only twelve years. The brown-winged plover reaches fourteen, and sometimes even sixteen years.

Tules can be called a real long-liver among representatives of the species - he lives up to eighteen years. However, even this period is considered long among waders. Their average life expectancy is usually only four to ten years.

The group includes birds of small and medium size, with relatively short legs and a short but strong pigeon-type beak. The anterior part of the upper jaw of such a beak is convex, and its main part is somewhat depressed, and the nostrils open in this depressed part of the beak. The wings of all plovers are long, sharp, strong. Typical representatives are plovers and plovers.

brown-winged plover/ Charadrius dominicus

Brown-winged plovers nesting in Asia winter in the coastal strip of East Africa, along the coasts of South and Southeast Asia, in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. In the east, the wintering area of ​​brown-winged plovers covers the Hawaiian and Marquesas Islands. To get to the Hawaiian Islands from the nearest parts of the land (from the Aleutian Islands), brown-winged plovers must fly 3300 km over the sea, and they have nowhere to sit down to rest. This is perhaps the largest non-stop flight of birds that is known. From the Hawaiian Islands to the Marquesas, another 3000 km. It has been calculated that if a brown-winged plover flies at a speed of 26 m / s (i.e., approximately 94 km / h) and makes 2 flaps of its wings every second, then in order to reach the Hawaiian Islands, it must fly without rest for 36 hours and make 252 000 flaps of wings non-stop! Brown-winged Plovers of North America fly straight east to Labrador, then turn south, many flying over the sea to the Bahamas and Antilles. This is not the destination of the journey. Further, brown-winged plovers fly to wintering grounds located in the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay. Back in spring, brown-winged plovers fly in a different way - along the mainland, through Central America to the north.

golden plover/ Charadrius apricarius

In addition, the golden plover inhabits Finland and the Scandinavian Peninsula, nests in the Baltic States, Denmark, the Netherlands, England and Iceland. In our country, the golden plover is a migratory bird, in England it is partially sedentary. Golden plovers spend the winter partly already in England, but mainly in the Mediterranean countries (European and African). Individual individuals of the golden plover remain for the winter in Transcaucasia, penetrate in winter to the Persian Gulf and partly to the western shores of the Hindustan peninsula. During wintering, golden plovers stay in fields, dry and wet pastures, and in Algeria they are found in the same flocks with lapwings, spreading there south to the very desert. On the mud of the sea coast, they are much less common than tules. In February, golden plovers leave their wintering grounds, in early April they can be observed in the south, and in April - May they fly across the mainland. On nesting sites in the tundra, golden plovers appear at the earliest at the end of May, more often in the first half of June. During the spring migration, golden plovers stop for feeding in the steppe areas, and in the forest zone in moss swamps and burnt areas. For nesting, Golden Plovers choose moist hummocky areas of the tundra, sedge and moss bogs in river and lake valleys. In the forest-tundra, they nest in forest clearings. In the Baltic, their nesting habitats are raised bogs. Pairing takes place a few days after arrival. The mating flight begins immediately, accompanied by cries repeated throughout the day. The male golden plover flies up and describes circles in the air, evenly and rather slowly flapping its wings, even soaring for some time. Suddenly, he begins to rapidly flutter his wings, then descends to the female, and both birds start running side by side, sometimes running quite a considerable distance. If pairs nest close to each other, excited males scream and fly even harder, but hostile actions do not occur between them: often birds of different pairs feed in close proximity. To build a nest, golden plovers choose an elevated, drier place - a flat hummock, a half-rotted fin log, etc. In Iceland, the bird nests in the bushes, but more often still in an open place. The nest of a bird is a shallow hole with a very small litter, where 4 eggs are laid, as an exception, there are 5 eggs, sometimes 3 and very rarely 2. Egg sizes: 48-55 x 33-38 mm. Their color is light, yellowish brown, often with a dark red tint. The eggs are covered with dark brown and pale gray spots. Both members of the nesting pair incubate. Incubation lasts 27 days. Usually, golden plover chicks are born almost at the same time, but it happens that the last chick hatches from the egg 48 hours later than the first. In this case, the male takes the older chicks out of the nest before other chicks appear. At first, after the chicks hatch, golden plovers energetically and selflessly lead away from the nest. Then the old birds usually stay on large mounds, constantly emitting an alarming, somewhat mournful whistle, and the young ones feed within the limits of their parents' view. At the first alarm signal from their parents, they hide. In July, golden plovers begin to gradually gather in flocks and begin to fly away in mid-August. In the autumn migration, golden plovers in the agricultural zone stay mainly on fallow and winter fields, and in spring they can often be seen on winter and spring shoots. In the fields, golden plovers feed almost exclusively on click beetle larvae (wireworms). What the golden plovers eat in the tundra is not known, but in the raised bogs of Estonia they eat slow moving leaf beetles, wireworms, elephants and ground beetles. At the end of summer, these plovers also eat berries. Moulting in golden plovers proceeds approximately as in thules. However, birds nesting in the southern parts of the range (for example, in the Baltic States) start nesting before they have completed their prenuptial molting, in mixed winter-summer plumage. Golden plovers arrive in the tundra, having managed to completely molt into the breeding attire.

The golden plover is a typical representative of its family. This is a rather large, densely folded sandpiper with short legs and a strong short beak.

The upper part of the plumage of the bird is dark, with frequent golden streaks, the bottom is black; between the lower and upper parts is a bright white stripe. The underside of the wing and axillary feathers are white. This is what males look like in breeding attire, females are a little dimmer. Winter clothing of birds is less bright, without a black "apron" on the abdomen. Juveniles are similar in color to females.

FUNNY NAMES

The plover is a typical northern tundra bird, and is found from as far as Central Siberia. The main places of its summer residence and nesting are various types of tundra, from the south of the Arctic zone to the moss swamps of the middle zone. It is also found in the mountain tundra, upland meadows and wastelands.

Shrubs, tall grass and other thickets of plover are avoided, preferring open, even, with a good view of the place. On migration, shorebirds stay in fields, meadows and swamps, often feed in spring on sprouted winter crops, for which they were called before " sevka "or, in the Ukrainian manner," sivkami ". The funny appearance of the bird is reflected in other folk names: cockerel , seed , field grouse .

TREATMENT ON GROUND AND IN THE AIR

Golden plovers arrive at nesting sites in May, and in the far north - in June, when the snow melts in the tundra. In Iceland, where the plover is common, it, like the rook in the middle lane, is called the herald of spring. Even on the migration in flocks of sandpipers, group display begins: males show off in front of females, bowing and showing a bright black belly. Couples gradually fight off the pack and occupy their own site, where courtship continues, only in the air. The male performs ritual flights around the female; it can hover, flutter its wings, or even hover briefly, like a very large hummingbird! Having fallen to the ground, the newlyweds run side by side, sometimes for quite a long time.

PARADISE IN THE HUT

Dancing dancing, but it's time to think about the children. Like most waders, shorebirds need marshes to nest. The nest of these birds is a simple hole in the ground, carelessly lined with dry blades of grass. Here the female lays four olive or yellowish eggs with dense dark speckles. Both parents incubate them, regularly replacing each other. At the same time, they behave very carefully: if someone approaches the nest, they quietly leave it and give a voice only in the distance.

FOLLOW THE PARENTS

After about a month, puffballs appear. Like all birds with a brood type of development, plover chicks are sighted, hear perfectly, are covered with thick warm fluff and are quite capable of running after their parents a few hours after hatching. The baby, like mom and dad, feeds mainly on insects - small beetles, caterpillars, worms and various larvae (by the way, she loves caterpillars of the winter scoop - the worst pest of plants). At the end of summer and autumn, berries also appear on the menu. At first, the parents lead the brood behind them, and at the slightest danger they selflessly try to take the enemy away from the nest (plotters are very caring parents). Having become older, the chicks already feed quite independently under the supervision of adults, but for about a month the alarming whistle of the parents makes the children instantly hide.

TIME TO FLY!

At the age of 10-14 days, young plovers are already trying wings, and after 40-45 days they fly quite confidently. At this time, families begin to stray into larger flocks and roam - first within the nesting area, and then further, moving south. Pairs that are unlucky with nesting set off earlier, as early as July. The main span of tundra sandals takes place in September. Plovers unite in small flocks of 20-40 birds. Most often they fly at night, and during the day they stop in the fields, swamps and burnt areas to feed and rest. In the most "delicious" places, quite large flocks sometimes gather, up to several hundred, or even thousands of individuals. It is interesting that the birds, which are quite cautious in summer, behave much more trustingly on the migration and sometimes let a person in about ten meters.

FROM ENGLAND TO ALGERIA

Wintering places are varied: golden plovers can be found in and in the countries of the Mediterranean, and North Africa, and the Middle East. At this time, they keep, of course, not in swamps (there are no swamps in Africa), but in fields, meadows and pastures. Interestingly, they were met in flocks along with lapwings almost in the desert! Unlike their closest relatives, golden plovers rarely feed on the muddy coasts of the seas in winter, preferring drier places.

Two subspecies of golden plover are known - northern and southern. Northern - quite common, and sometimes numerous. Southern, nesting in the Pskov, Tver, Novgorod regions, is very rare and is listed in many regional Red Books.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Class: birds.
Order: Charadriiformes.
Family: plovers.
Genus: plovers.
Species: golden plover.
Latin name: Pluvialis apricaria.
Size: body length - 25-30 cm, wingspan - 67-76 cm.
Weight: 150-220 g.
Colour: yellow with black spots.
Life span of golden plover: up to 12 years.

Plover - detachment Charadriiformes, family Plovers

Asian brown-winged plover (Pluvialis fulva). Habitat - Asia. Wingspan 70 cm Weight 190 g

Plovers are widely represented almost all over the world, they live in Australia, Asia, America, Africa and Europe.

Most of them lead a migratory lifestyle, overcoming huge distances from nesting places to wintering places. Birds are a kind of champions among birds: it is known that brown-winged plovers make a “non-stop” flight over the sea from the Aleutian to Hawaiian Islands (over 3000 kilometers) in 36 hours.

All this time the birds do not feed and do not rest. But this is not the end of their journey: after a little rest, the plovers again set off on a flight of at least 3,000 kilometers to the pampas of South America. Birds nest in the wet hummocky tundra, moss swamps. The female lays 3 to 5 eggs in a shallow hole sparsely lined with soft vegetation. The chicks that were born, having dried out, leave the nest and feed on their own from the very first days of existence.

golden plover

The sandpiper is slightly larger than the thrush. Males of golden plovers during the mating season have a very colorful appearance. Their belly is black; the black throat is bordered by a white stripe stretching from the forehead to the sides of the undertail. The top of the body is dotted with black and yellow streaks, borders and specks. Their wingspan is 67-76 cm. Typical habitats are tundra, mountain meadows, marshy wastelands. Outside of Russia, the species can be found on the territory from Iceland to the UK. Previously, they flew to the south of Europe in winter, but now they are rare in those areas. Golden plovers form stable pairs, each with its own territory. In Iceland, the arrival of golden plovers is a sign of the coming spring.

In Russia, the range of the species extends eastward to the basin of the Khatanga River; the northern limit of distribution reaches the 70th and 72nd parallels. Nests are arranged in open space; there are 4 eggs in a clutch, they are yellow-brown, with a dark brown pattern.

white plover

White Plover (Chionis alba). Habitat - Antarctica. Wingspan 80 cm Weight 780 g

These birds are inhabitants of the subarctic and arctic latitudes. Because of the conspicuous beaks with "lids", the explorers of the North called the white plovers "case-beaks". A curious feature of these birds is that although plovers are typical coastal birds, very reluctant to sink into the water, they love to accompany ships, sometimes flying several hundred kilometers deep into the sea.

White plovers are not at all afraid of a person, perhaps because they meet him extremely rarely. They inhabit coastal cliffs, arrange dwellings in their crevices and depressions, willingly use the burrows of petrels. They feed on animal food, do not disdain carrion, and often destroy nests. The female white plover lays 2-3 eggs at intervals of several days. The bird begins incubation immediately after laying the first one, and the first hatched chick survives.

crayfish plover

Crayfish (Dramas ardeola). Habitat - Asia, Africa. Length 40 cm Weight 330 g

The crayfish is the only species in this feathered family. Birds live along the shores of the tropical seas of Asia and Africa, settle in large colonies. Crayfish plovers find food either on the edge of the surf or in shallow water. They feed mainly on mollusks and crustaceans, including crabs, hence their name. Having caught the prey, the bird pecks at the shell of a shell or crab with a short but very strong beak and feasts on the contents.

Crayfish plovers, perhaps the only representatives of the entire order, do not “lead” chicks, but feed them in nests. Nests are long burrows (sometimes more than 2 meters long), which birds dig in sand dunes with their beaks. Burrows end with nesting chambers, in which females lay only 1 large white egg. The chick stays in the nest until it fledges.