Chestnut-banded Plover

Subspecies venustus
Photo by wim de groot
Lake Natron, Tanzania, August 2007

Charadrius pallidus

Identification

Length 15 cm, mass 28-39 g. The smallest Charadrius species.

Upper parts are very pale grey (C. p. pallidus) or brownish-grey (C. p. venustus), and under parts are white with a narrow chestnut breast band.

Subspecies pallidus
Photo by Reader
Velddrif, Western Cape, South Africa, October 2011

Distribution

Africa: From South Africa to Angola, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya.

Taxonomy

Subspecies¹

• C. p. venustus: Smaller and has darker and browner upper parts than the nominate race.

• Found in Rift Valley soda lakes on Kenya/Tanzania border.

• C. p. pallidus: Very pale grey upper parts.

• Found on southern African coast (south-western Angola to Mozambique) and inland in northern Namibia, northern Botswana and central-northern South Africa.

Habitat

Saline lagoons and pans; less frequently estuaries and sandy lagoons.

Behaviour

Found singly, in pairs, or in flocks. Forages for insects on the soil surface or in the water.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Gibbon, G. 2002. Roberts' Multimedia Birds of Southern Africa: Version 3. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. www.sabirding.co.za
3. Lepage D. 2008. Avibase. Search for "Chestnut-banded Plover" downloaded 19 June 2008.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chestnut-banded Plover. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-banded_Plover

External Links

Search for photos of Chestnut-banded Plover in the gallery