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A photo of a Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), male
Kentish Plover, Male

Kentish Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus

The Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) is a small cosmopolitan shorebird (40-44 g) of the family Charadriidae that breeds on the shores of saline lakes, lagoons, and coasts, populating sand dunes, marshes, semi-arid desert, and tundra. Both male and female birds have pale plumages with a white underside, grey/brown back, dark legs and a dark bill, however additionally the male birds also exhibit very dark incomplete breast bands, and dark markings either side of their head, therefore the Kentish plover is regarded as sexually dimorphic Charadrius alexandrinus has a large geographical distribution, ranging from latitudes of 10º to 55º, occupying North Africa, both mainland, such as Senegal, and island, such as the Cape Verde archipelago, Central Asia, for example alkaline lakes in China, and Europe, including small populations in Spain and Austria. Some populations are migratory and often winter in Africa, whereas other populations, such as various island populations, do not migrate. Its common English name comes from the county of Kent, where it was once found, but it has not bred in Britain since 1979. Kentish plovers are ground-nesting birds, often with a preference for low, open, moist nesting sites away from thick vegetation and human activity. They use a number of materials to build their nests, mainly consisting of shells, pebbles, grass and leaves in a small scrape in the ground. Like most plovers, the Kentish plovers are predominantly insectivores, feeding on a large range of arthropods and invertebrates depending on the environment, by using a run and stop method.
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Kentish Plovers on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A map showing the sighting location
🦩
Andrew Filby
Tuesday 30 May 2023 - 4:32pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
🦊
Matt Merritt
Thursday 25 May 2023 - 8:32am
Portugal
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Luciano Siviter
Luciano Siviter
Tuesday 23 May 2023 - 5:52pm
Spain
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Luciano Siviter
Luciano Siviter
Monday 22 May 2023 - 7:25pm
Spain
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