Wildlife
Little ringed plovers were seldom seen in the UK prior to the second world war. Since then, hundreds have arrived and made it their summer home. They come in search of nesting sites in the wide expanses of shingle in river valleys. Since the end of the war, the expansion of the building industry has created numerous gravel pits making such sites more plentiful. Their nests are exposed scrapes in the shingle, but their eggs are camouflaged perfectly, making them virtually invisible.
Scientific name: Charadrius dubius
Rank: Species
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Road runner
Iolo Williams looks at little ringed plover nesting in the Towy Valley in West Wales.
Iolo Williams looks at little ringed plover nesting on the banks of the River Towy in West Wales.
Chick cheer
Little ringed plovers hatch a chick in the face of adversity.
Little ringed plovers hatch a chick in the face of adversity from a jackdaw.
Jack attack
The little ringed plover displays its amazing distraction technique when attacked by a jackdaw.
The little ringed plover displays its amazing distraction technique when attacked by a jackdaw.
Plover bother
Pensthorpe's family of little ringed plovers is threatened by a jackdaw.
Pensthorpe's family of little ringed plovers is threatened by a jackdaw.
Ruthless pursuit
An adult plover attacks a chick perhaps to clear the way for his own.
An adult plover attacks a chick perhaps to clear the way for his own.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Little ringed plover can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Europe, Indian subcontinent, Mediterranean, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Little ringed plover distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Year assessed: 2009
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) is a small plover. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill. The legs are flesh-coloured and the toes are all webbed.
This species differs from the larger Ringed Plover in leg colour, the head pattern, and the presence of a clear yellow eye-ring.
Their breeding habitat is open gravel areas near freshwater, including gravel pits, islands and river edges in Europe and western Asia. They nest on the ground on stones with little or no plant growth. Both male and female take turn to incubate the eggs.
They are migratory and winter in Africa. These birds forage for food on muddy areas, usually by sight. They eat insects and worms.
The Little Ringed Plover is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
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The Pensthorpe Little Ringed Plover In 2010 Springwatch followed a band of little ringed plovers who built a nest on the scrape in Pensthorpe.
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Helpless young
Migration
Predation defence
Camouflage
Co-operative breeding
Adapted to flying
Acoustic communication
Egg layer
Parental investment
Territorial