Kentish Plover

The Kentish Plover is a small, pale, sandy-brown shorebird with white underparts and a slim, energetic gait. Breeding males show a rufous wash on the crown, a black bar across the forehead, and dark patches at the sides of the breast; females and non-breeding birds are duller with brownish rather than black markings.

It is widespread across Europe, Africa, and Asia, occupying open, sparsely vegetated ground near water, from ocean beaches to inland salt lakes.

The species name refers to Kent, England, where it was first described, though it has since become extinct as a breeder in Britain.

Key field marks

• Pale sandy upperparts, clean white underparts
• Dark patches at the sides of the breast that do not meet in the center
• Thin, entirely black bill
• Black legs
• Breeding males show a rufous-tinged crown and black forehead bar

Similar species

• Snowy Plover is virtually identical in appearance but occurs only in the Americas.
• White-fronted Plover (Africa) is paler still with a more extensive white forehead.
• Common Ringed Plover is larger and stockier with a complete dark breast band and orange-based bill.

Kentish Plovers breed on open sandy or gravelly ground near water across a huge range spanning coastal and inland Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including beaches, salt pans, and the margins of saline and brackish lakes.

Northern populations are migratory, wintering along the coasts of southern Europe, Africa, and southern Asia, while populations in warmer regions are largely resident.

Voice

A short, sharp twit or pit contact call and a soft trilling display call given in flight or on the ground during courtship.

Feeding

Runs in quick bursts and pauses to pick insects, small crustaceans, and other invertebrates from the surface of sand, mud, or salt pan crust.

Nesting

Lays eggs in a shallow, unlined scrape on open ground, relying on cryptic egg coloration for protection. The species has an unusual mating system in some populations, with frequent polyandry and mate desertion, where one parent may leave to start a second brood elsewhere.