Golden Plover

Pluvialis apricaria

Golden Plover

Quick Facts

Classification

Scientific name:

Pluvialis apricaria

Family:

Plovers

Conservation status:

Green

Measurements

Length:

26cm to 29cm

Wingspan:

67cm to 76cm

Weight:

160g to 280g

Other birds in the Plovers family

About the Golden Plover

The golden plover is a medium-sized member of the plover family. In the summer they have a unique black and gold plumage. By winter, the black colourings are replaced with buff and white.

Most of the time you'll find them standing upright and running in short bursts, they are also very wary when on breeding grounds.

In the winter, they can be found flying in fairly tight formations in large flocks.

What does a Golden Plover eat?

Their diets mainly consist of insects, beetles and worms.

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Other birds in the Plovers family

Kentish Plover

Ringed Plover

Frequently seen running along the shore in a stop/start fashion, the Ringed Plover is a plump but neatly marked wader of coastlines and inland waterways.

Little Ringed Plover

Lapwing

With glossy green plumage and an extravagant crest, the Lapwing is an eye-catching wader of marsh and pasture.

Grey Plover

Dotterel

Although population numbers are in decline in recent decades, several hundred pairs of dotterels descend on mountainous plateaus in the Scottish Highlands to breed each spring. They are notoriously tame, fearless birds that make their nests on the ground on rocky uplands.

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