American Golden Plover

The American golden-plover (Pluvialis dominica) is a medium-sized plover, a wader in the family Charadriidae. It is a rather elegant bird with a slender build and relatively long legs, perfect for its migratory lifestyle. During the breeding season, the adult boasts a striking black face, neck, breast, and belly, contrasted by a white crown and nape that extends to the side of the breast. Its back is adorned with mottled black and white, sprinkled with pale, gold spots. The non-breeding plumage is more subdued, with grey-brown upperparts and pale grey-brown underparts, complemented by a whitish eyebrow.

Identification Tips

When identifying the American golden-plover, look for its small head and bill, and the distinctive black and white breeding plumage. In flight, observe its dusky back and axillaries. The bird measures approximately 24–28 cm in length, with a wingspan of 65–67 cm, and weighs between 122–194 g.

Habitat

The American golden-plover favors the Arctic tundra of northern Canada and Alaska for breeding. It prefers dry open areas where it can nest on the ground.

Distribution

This species is a true migrator, wintering in the southern reaches of South America. It follows an elliptical migration path, with northbound birds passing through Central America between January and April, and southbound birds taking a more easterly route over the Atlantic to reach Patagonia. It is known for one of the longest migratory routes of over 40,000 km, including a remarkable 3,900 km stretch over open ocean.

Behaviour

The American golden-plover is territorial, especially on its breeding grounds where it displays aggressively to neighbors. Some individuals maintain territories even in their wintering grounds. It is a bird that captures the imagination, having possibly played a role in alerting Christopher Columbus to the nearby Americas in 1492.

Breeding

Breeding involves scrape nests lined with lichens, grass, and leaves. The bird lays a clutch of four white to buff eggs, heavily blotched with black and brown spots, which are incubated for 26 to 27 days. The male incubates during the day, and the female at night. Chicks are precocial, leaving the nest within hours and feeding themselves within a day.

Similar Species

The American golden-plover can be confused with the European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) and the Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva). The European species is larger with white axillary feathers, while the Pacific species is slimmer, with a shorter primary projection, longer legs, and usually a yellower back.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the American golden-plover includes terrestrial earthworms, snails, insects and their larvae, crustaceans, fish, berries, and seeds. It forages on tundra, fields, beaches, and tidal flats, primarily by sight.

Conservation status

The species is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, it has not fully recovered from heavy hunting in the late 19th century.