No. 17 A Selection of Plovers


(Note: Click on photographs to enlarge the image)

Plovers are one of the largest families within the Waders group of birds, all of which are characterised by their relatively long legs and their general habitat of living near shorelines, river margins or bogs and marshes.  They nearly all feed on insects, worms, molluscs and crustaceans. Plovers are all short-billed and generally have a compact, rounded, and short-necked shape and a horizontal stature. When feeding many of them have a typical 'run-stop-peck' action. The family includes all of the Lapwings.

Golden Plover

This is a common winter visitor to Cyprus, most frequently seen between November and March, though peak numbers are usually here between late December and January. I often see them on the foreshore by Paphos Lighthouse, and in the fields between the shoreline and the Lighthouse. They also spend long periods feeding in the fields at Mandria when the soil is fairly bare.



Part of flock of Golden Plovers at Paphos  foreshore

From a distance the birds look brown but when viewed from close-by, or through binoculars, the birds show their spectacular gold-and-black flecked backs and wings. They usually congregate in flocks of 30 or more and when they all take off together they make a spectacular sight with their black-and-white underwing markings.


Adult Golden Plover in Mandria field



Golden Plovers at rest


Greater Sand Plover

This Plover is not as common as the Golden Plover but is nevertheless quite frequently seen on the shoreline at Paphos Lighthouse, particularly during the winter months. It may be seen singly or in small flocks, typically feeding in the rocks at the water's edge. It has a slightly heavier and longer bill than most plovers. It is buff coloured above and white below, with long pale-greenish legs.


Greater Sand Plover. Note the heavier bill



Greater Sand Plover - camouflaged against the shoreline rocks

We occasionally get a 'columbinus' variant of the Greater Sand Plover visiting Cyprus, and this bird is recognised by its very distinct rusty-pink coloured feathers on the upper breast and flanks. I saw one such bird last year but my photograph barely does it justice, unfortunately.




Greater Sand Plover 'columbinus' variant


Spur-winged Lapwing

This is a very elegant plover with long dark legs, black head and underparts but with white cheeks and neck sides. The wings are a slightly greenish-brown colour. It is often seen in the run-off areas around sewage works and waste-water pools, slurry areas and around fresh and saline marshes and irrigated farmland.



Adult Spur-winged Lapwing

I see this bird most frequently in the fields around Paphos waste-water treatment works, just to the south of Acheleia. Flocks of over 30 birds can sometimes be seen in the fields when harvesting of alfalfa is taking place, but there are often a few birds feeding or roosting within the actual sewage works or the adjacent fields. Occasionally one or two birds can be seen on the fields at Mandria.



Spur-winged Lapwing in Alfalfa crop at Acheleia


This plover gets its name from a small spur that can (very occasionally) be seen at the frontmost edge of the wing (though I have to confess that I have never seen this feature).



Little Ringed Plover

This is one of the smaller plovers that is a passage migrant to Cyprus between spring and autumn, some even overwintering here. It is usually seen feeding at the edge of rivers, pools, or at the seashore (e.g. at Mandria), and usually alone or in pairs. This bird can be incredibly difficult to see because the camouflage is so good when the bird is feeding on a stoney or gravel substrate. I have taken several photographs of an individual (e.g. at the rivers edge at Nata Ford) and have subsequently struggled to find the bird in the resulting photograph.


Little Ringed Plover, feeding in woodland pool at Timi

The Little Ringed Plover is named after the distinct white neck band, but there is also a black head band and a white patch above the short black bill. The back is an olive greenish-brown, the undersides are white and the legs are yellow. The large eye is surrounded by a very distinct yellow orbital ring.



The impressive camouflage of the Little Ringed Plover.
(Yes, it is there!)

Caspian Plover

I couldn't resist including this bird as it is a rare spring migrant and therefore not often seen in Cyprus. I was very fortunate to see one that had just landed by the beach at Mandria, and it was clearly resting before it started to re-fuel for its onward flight north.


Caspian Plover - a surprise visitor at Mandria shoreline

It is quite a long, slim and delicate plover but with very distinct colouring (superficially like that of the Dotterel, another member of the Plover family). It breeds in Central Asia and winters in Africa. The white throat, cheeks and eye-stripe set off the rufous  breast, separated from the white underside by a narrow but distinct black border. A most attractive plover.



The striking colouring of the Caspian Plover


Photos and text by Trevor Fordham.  13 April 2020

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