Ringed plover

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ringed plover
Ringed plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) in simple dress

Ringed plover ( Charadrius leschenaultii ) in simple dress

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Plover-like (Charadriiformes)
Family : Plover (Charadriidae)
Genre : Charadrius
Type : Ringed plover
Scientific name
Charadrius leschenaultii
Lesson , 1826
Males in well-worn breeding plumage

The desert plover ( Charadrius leschenaultii ) is a species of wader from the plover family (Charadriidae), which inhabits the desert steppes and semi-deserts in the Middle East and Central Asia . The distribution area extends from Anatolia to Mongolia .

description

The ringed plover is one of the larger species of the genus Charadrius and, with a body length of 22-25 cm, is usually much larger than a ringed plover . The wingspan is between 53 and 60 cm, the weight between 55 and 121 g. The black beak is extraordinarily long and chunky for a plover, which is one of the distinguishing features to the very similar Mongolian plover . The ringed plover is also long-legged and can be reminiscent of a Pluvialis species in its overall shape. The legs can be quite variable in color, but in contrast to the black legs of the Mongolian plover, they are usually rather dull greenish-gray. The iris is dark brown.

Males and females differ quite clearly in the breeding dress by the head markings. They look the same in a simple dress.

In the male in the brood plumage, the crown and upper side are light sepia brown with a rust-colored tint in the face and neck area and on individual feathers on the back. The forehead is white, divided in the middle by a vertical, narrow black band and bordered by a black headband and a black rein stripe. The latter unite to form a wide blindfold that extends to the ear covers, which are sometimes more brown in color. The light stripe above the eyes is mostly washed out rust-colored. A lively cinnamon-colored breast band is set off from the white underside, which is sharply delimited towards the white throat, but particularly blotches towards the flanks and is usually narrower in the middle of the breast. The gray-brown upper wing becomes darker towards the tip and the arm wings. The white wing band, which is quite narrow on the arm wing, extends to the middle of the hand wings. It is at most blurred on the outer wings of the hand. The control springs are gray-brown with a fine, dark subterminal band and a white lace border; the two outer pairs of control springs also have a white outer flag, which makes the outer edges of the tail appear white. The upper tail ceilings are lined with whitish.

In the female in the brood plumage, the male's black head markings are replaced by gray-brown areas and, if necessary, individual feathers are black. The rust-brown tones of the upper side are dull or absent; the chest band is narrower and more dull in color.

In the plain dress, the black and rust-colored parts are completely missing in both sexes. The whitish forehead merges into the rather narrow white stripe over the eyes. The chest band is reduced to gray areas on the chest sides. Sometimes it is also very narrow. The upper side is gray-brown with light hems on the upper wing-coverts, the upper tail-coverts are slightly wider, light-edged than in the brood-plumage. Sometimes there are some gray feathers on the flanks, otherwise the underside is pure white.

The youth dress is similar to the plain dress, but the light hems of the upper side plumage are more yellow-brown. The stripe above the eyes is also often yellowish-brown and washed out. The chest sides are warm yellow-brown with dark feather centers.

Since both species are quite variable and there can be overlaps in all essential characteristics, including body size, in some cases it is very difficult to distinguish them from the Mongolian plover. In the case of observations under poor conditions, a clear definition should be refrained from. The beak of the Mongolian ringed plover is generally finer and the head almost always appears rounded. Both species are longer-legged than the Kentish plover, but this is usually more pronounced in the case of the desert ringed plover. Further indicators are the leg color, the texture of the wing band, the amount of white on the tail and the voice. In the breeding dress the chest band of the ringed plover is usually less extensive.

voice

The most common call is a short, hard trilling trrrrri , which is sometimes quickly strung or drawn out. The song at the breeding site is a repeated melodic whistling pipruirr pipruirr pipruirr . In addition, an ascending series of calls is described as dui dui tui duit .

distribution

The breeding area of ​​the ringed plover extends through the arid regions of Asia and extends from Anatolia to the east of the Gobi .

West of the Caspian Sea there are known, partly larger deposits in the area around the Tuz Gölü and in the Sultansazlığı in the Central Anatolian highlands, in western Armenia , on the Abşeron peninsula in Azerbaijan , at the Djabboul salt lake near Aleppo in Syria and in the vicinity of the Qa ' oases Hanna and Azraq in Jordan . The latter probably represents the southern edge of the distribution. Evidence of breeding in the winter roosts, as found in Somalia , probably only occurs sporadically and is not permanent.

East of the Caspian Sea, the northern edge of the distribution runs roughly from the northwest of the Ustyurt plateau and Aralsk over the deserts of Mujunkum , Kyzylkum , Karakum and the hunger steppe to the southern Seven Rivers . In the south, the area reaches at least to Esenguly in southwestern Turkmenistan until Kelif and Termez on Amurdarja , to the upper Syr Darya in Tajikistan and to the Fergana Valley . Further south, the way even in the north was Iran (stating " Khorasan ") and on Dashte Nawur in Farah and on Abe Istada in Ghazni in Afghanistan found. Presumably it also breeds in the Djungarian basin . The area also extends from the Chuja steppe in the Altai via Tuwa , where the species occurs in the Tannu-ola Mountains and on the Uws Nuur , through Mongolia to at least Dsamin-Üüd in the Dorno-Gobi-Aimag .

Geographical variation and systematics

Three subspecies are recognized, which differ only slightly. The western subspecies C. l. columbinus has a relatively smaller beak. In addition, the rust-colored areas on the back are more pronounced in both youth and adult clothing and the color of the chest band extends far down to the flanks. After all, these features are so pronounced that the Jordanian population was mistakenly assigned to the Mongolian plover for a long time. The populations east of the Caspian Sea can hardly be distinguished, so that the meaningfulness of a division into two subspecies is doubted by some authors. The more westerly of these populations was described by Nikolai Alexejewitsch Severzow in 1873 as Eudromias crassirostris . When transferring to the genus Charadrius , it was not considered that the subspecies of the Wilson ringed plover, described by Johann Baptist von Spix in 1825 as Charadrius crassirostris , has priority . In 2012 the taxon was therefore listed in C. l. renamed scythicus , which is reminiscent of the Scythians .

The specific epithet leschenaultii honors the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour .

hikes

The ringed plover is a migratory bird, with the largest part of the population consisting of distinct long-distance migrants. Only a very small proportion overwinters just south of the breeding areas.

The wintering quarters are on sea coasts and islands. The species is rarely found inland. The breeding birds west of the Caspian Sea overwinter in the eastern Mediterranean , the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden , the Trans-Caspian populations west of the Djungarian Basin migrate south and south-west to northeast and east Africa and east to the western coasts of the Indian subcontinent overwinter. The East Asian populations overwinter from South Asia and the Malay Archipelago south to southeast Australia and at least New Caledonia . Some may also move to East Africa.

Between mid-July and the beginning of August, the birds of the Trans-Caspian populations gather in inland waters - for birds of the Middle East, this begins a month earlier. The migration then largely takes place on a broad front without stopping in the winter quarters, but locally also along the coasts like guidelines, such as the Caspian Sea. Occasionally, large, resting troops can be seen on the train. Often these are associated with Mongolian plovers. Rest areas and wintering areas often have a long tradition.

In India and Pakistan the immature and adult birds appear from the beginning of August, which at this time often still wear the worn breeding dress; This year's birds will arrive in the middle of the month. In southern China and Hong Kong, the species is common between late July and November. The first winter guests arrive in Australia in mid-August, in South Asia and from Sudan to Tanzania between August and September. Here, too, the older birds arrive before this year.

In Southeast Asia, the first homecomers start at the end of February, the majority start between March and April. In East Africa and South Asia this takes place between mid-April and early May. The birds arrive in the breeding areas from mid-March, but most arrive in April and May. Some over-summerers stay in the winter quarters. Presumably these are predominantly not sexually mature individuals.

The species has been found as a stray visitor in several European countries, in West Africa and the USA. In Germany, the number of records between 1931 and 2015 (2 records) was less than ten, in Austria the species was found once in the Rhine delta .

habitat

The ringed plover breeds in dry steppes, semi-deserts and deserts , which can also be completely free of vegetation. The species is found mainly in clay pans with a solo net and sparse halophyte growth , but also on gravel surfaces , in barren wormwood steppes with larger open areas and sometimes even in sandy deserts or on dunes. Even dry, overgrazed terrain is sometimes used for breeding. It is not uncommon for muddy surfaces or water points to be found nearby, but these can also be up to 10 or even 20 km away. In contrast to the Mongolian ringed plover, most of the occurrences are found in basins and plains, but the altitude distribution extends in places into the mountains. So up to 1800 m in the Altai or over 3000 m in the Hindu Kush .

In midsummer, the birds often gather in the bank zones of steppe lakes, where non-breeding birds can be found during the breeding season. In winter quarters, the species is mainly found on the coast and in estuaries , where it looks for food on sandy, muddy or gravel beaches. However, flat flooded, short-grass or steppe-like areas a little away from the littoral are also used.

nutrition

The ringed plover feeds mainly on beetles such as weevils and black beetles . In addition, there are other insects and their larvae such as termites , mosquitoes and ants or other invertebrates such as woodlice or snails . In the winter quarters, worms and smaller crustaceans , but also insects, play a role.

The ringed plover, like many other species of plover, is a sight hunter. The search for food often takes place while running with the head slightly bowed. The prey is then picked up from the ground very quickly. Sometimes very large prey animals are caught and killed, such as a mole cricket or a toad-headed dragon . The species can also be observed wading a lot in bodies of water or on the coast and occasionally goes into the water up to its belly. Prey animals are then also tracked down by trampling . In winter quarters, up to 50 birds often come together to form foraging troops.

Reproduction

Ringed Plover's Egg

The ringed plover leads a monogamous seasonal marriage. There is an annual brood. If the clutch is lost, additional clutches are made. Since in the south of the breeding area many over-summerers are regularly found, which are probably birds from the previous year, it is assumed that the species does not become sexually mature until the second year. The pairing probably often takes place in winter quarters or on the move home.

The nest is a simple hollow with a diameter of 9 cm and a depth of up to 4 cm, which is created in areas free of vegetation or free areas in low vegetation on firm ground. It is laid out with parts of plants, grass, dung, clay flakes or pebbles. The lining is very variable and can sometimes be up to 2 cm high. The clutch consists of two to four, but in most cases three eggs, which are drawn on a brown-yellow to olive-green background with brown to black-brown dots, coarser spots and ash-gray lower spots. They are on average about 39 × 28 mm in size and are incubated by both partners alternately for at least 24 days. Incubation probably begins after the last egg has been deposited.

The young are led away from the nest area soon after hatching and are sometimes divided between the parents. They fledge after at least 30 days.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wiersma et al. (2013), HBW Alive, see literature
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 257f, see literature
  3. ^ Lars Svensson, Peter J. Grant, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström: Der neue Kosmos Vogelführer . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH, Stuttgart, 1999, ISBN 3-440-07720-9 , pp. 130 f
  4. ↑ a b c d Hayman et al., P. 300 f, see literature
  5. ↑ Hayman et al., P. 299, see literature
  6. ↑ Hayman et al., P. 393, see literature
  7. ↑ a b c Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 261 f, see literature
  8. ^ Rob G. Bijlsma: Charadrius leschanaultii in Ward JM Hagemeijer, Michael J. Blair: The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds - their distribution and abundance , T & AD Poyser, London 1997, ISBN 0-85661-091-7 , pp. 262
  9. Jump up ↑ Caio J. Carlos, CS (Kees) Roselaar, Jean-François Voisin: A replacement name for Charadrius leschenaultii crassirostris (Severzov, 1873), a subspecies of Greater Sand Plover , Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 132 (1), p 63-65
  10. ↑ a b c d Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 262 f, see literature
  11. ↑ Evidence July 2015 at Club 300 , accessed on July 23, 2015
  12. ↑ Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel, Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The Compendium of the Birds of Central Europe , Aula-Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2012, ISBN 978-3-89104-758-3 , p. 452
  13. ↑ a b Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 261f, see literature
  14. ↑ Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 269, see literature
  15. ↑ Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 267, see literature
  16. ↑ a b c d Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 265 f, see literature
  17. ↑ Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 267 f, see literature

Web links

Commons : Ringed plover  - Collection of images, videos and audio files