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Charadrius dubius (Little
ringed plover)
Kleinringnekstrandkiewiet [Afrikaans]; Kleine Plevier [Dutch]; Pluvier
petit-gravelot [French]; Flußregenpfeifer [German]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) > Order: Charadriiformes
> Family: Charadriidae > Genus: Charadrius
Distribution and habitat
Breeds from northern Eurasia to northern Africa, heading
south in the non-breeding season to Malaysia, southern Asia and Africa above the
equator, from Senegal to Somalia and Kenya. It is a rare vagrant to southern
Africa, with just a single confirmed record at Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
from 5-8th January 2002. It generally prefers muddy and sandy shores of rivers
and freshwater lakes, as well as airstrips, pastures and short grassy areas near
water.
Food
It mainly eats invertebrates, using the typical plover
foraging technique of running, stopping and searching repeatedly, or alternatively
catching prey disturbed by stirring its feet in shallow water. The following food items have been recorded
in its diet:
- Invertebrates
- insects
-
spiders
- snails
- mussels
- small crustaceans
- worms
- Seeds
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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