Latin name - Pluvialis apricaria
A plump wader with
gold and black plumage in the summer; in winter the black is replaced
by buff and white. Slightly smaller than a lapwing, they typically stand
upright and run in short bursts. The golden plover can be distinguished
from the larger grey plover by its golden spots and delicate bill. In
summer they are found in the upland moorland habitats of the Southern
Uplands and Highlands of Scotland, the Western and Northern Isles, the
Peak District, North Yorkshire, Wales and Devon; where it breeds from
May to September. In winter they form large flocks, often in the company
of lapwings, flying in a tight formation and visiting farmland and coastal
flats searching for their food of worms and beetles. They can be distinguished
in their communal flocks with lapwings by their sharp, pointed wings,
lapwings have bluntly rounded wings.
|