lesser mongolian plover (charadrius mongolus): info fact sheet, photos

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Mongolian Plover
Charadrius mongolus
Mongolian Sand/Lesser Sand/Sand Plover, Sand Dotterel,
Rapang Mongolia (Malay)

Mongolian Plovers feed on small invertebrates such as worms, crabs and bivalves. During breeding, they feed on insects.

Unlike other plovers which use the run-and-peck method, the Mongolian uses the "sewing-machine" feeding action more commonly used by sandpipers. This action aptly describes the way they incessantly probe with their bills for titbits.

Mongolian Plovers prefer to forage on tidal mudflats, particularly in the soft mud between the tides. But they may also forage on drier mudbanks. They are rarely found far inland. They may forage at night. While they feed, Mongolian Plovers are rather scattered, especially at low tide. But they migrate and roost in large numbers, sometimes with other waders.

Breeding (May-August): Mongolian Plovers breed discontinuously, in areas across east Asia from the Himalayas to North East Siberia, rarely in Alaska.

Like other plovers, Mongolian Plovers nest on the open ground, sometimes besides bushes or large stones. They dig shallow hollows, or use cattle footprints, and line these with pebbles or bits of plants. In the Himalayas, they nest above or beyond the tree-line, at altitudes of up to 5,500m. But in Siberia, on coastal shingle or sand dunes.

2-3 eggs are laid, and both parents incubate (22-24 days) and raise the young. But sometimes only the male raises the young. They fledge at 30-35 days.

Mangrove and wetland wildlife at
Sungei Buloh Nature Park

Main features: Medium (19-23cm); bill dark, short and small (2cm); breast band; legs grey. Adult: Summer/breeding: black mask and forehead; narrow eyebrow rufous; breast band bright rufous, very broad and extends to flanks, thin black border near neck. Winter/non-breeding: eyebrow white; breast band grey-brown, much narrower and usually broken at the centre. Juvenile: pale buff fringes to feathers of back and wings; breast band restricted to the sides (same as the Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii). Call: A trilling drrit or pipip; soft chi-tik.	Breeding
	Non-breeding
	Juvenile Photos from Rosair and Cottridge
In flight: Narrow white wingbar, dark centre rump and white sides and outer tail. Similar birds: Similar to several other plovers: Ringed (C. hiaticula): white unbroken neck ring; legs orange-yellow; Kentish (C. alexandrius): white unbroken neck ring, broken breast band; legs yellow to black. Malaysian (C. peronii): white unbroken neck ring, broken breast band; legs greyish and long. Little Ringed (C. dubius): white unbroken neck ring, legs pinkish. Greater Sand (C. leschenaultii): larger; no white collar; legs yellowish-greenish to grey and longer. Status in Singapore: Very common passage migrant and winter non-breeding visitor to coastal areas. World distribution: Throughout the Old World. Classification: Family Charadiidae. World 89 species, Singapore 12 species. From the Order Charadiiformes.

Migration: Mongolian Plovers are powerful travellers. From their northerly breeding grounds, they winter on the coasts and estuaries around the Indian Ocean and South-west Pacific (Africa, India, Sumatra to the Greater Sundas and Australia). There are 5 races which take different migration routes. Those visiting Singapore generally breed in Central or Northeast Asia.

Mongolian Plovers usually winter on muddy and sandy coasts, and occasionally at inland wetlands or on cultivated grounds. On migrations and on wintering grounds, they are found in large numbers, sometimes mixing with Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii), which they closely resemble. In Singapore, they come in groups of about 70. They adopt partial breeding plumage before leaving their wintering grounds.

Status and threats: Like other migrating shorebirds, Mongolian Plovers are affected by habitat destruction and water pollution.

REFERENCES

To buy these references & others, visit
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Lim Kim Seng and Dana Gardner, "Birds: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore", Sun Tree Publishing Ltd., 1997 (p.65: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, diagram, number of species).
Christopher Hails, "Birds of Singapore" illustrated by Frank Jarvis, Times Editions, 1987 reprinted 1995 (p. 73: habits, description, status in Singapore, and lovely drawings of the birds).
Lim Kim Seng, "Pocket Checklist of the Birds of the Republic of Singapore", Nature Society (Singapore), 1999 (Abundance, status, Chinese and Malay names).
Morten Strange, "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Malaysia and Singapore: including Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Borneo", Periplus, 2000 (p. 107: description, voice, habits, distribution, status, photo).
G W H Davison and Chew Yen Fook, "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore", New Holland Publishers Ltd., 1995 (p. 34: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, habits, photo together with the Greater which it closely resembles).
Morten Strange and Allen Jeyarajasingam, "Birds: A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore", Sun Tree Publishing, 1993 (p. 117: description, distribution, habits, habitat, photo).
David R Wells, "The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 1 (Non-Passarines)", Academic Press, 1999 (p. 285-286: identification, distribution map, habits, habitat, migration, conservation).
David Rosair and David Cottridge, "Photographic Guide to the Shorebirds of the World", Facts on File, 1995 (p. 97: photos of adults-breeding and non-breeding, and juvenile).
Peter Hayman (et. al), "Shorebirds: An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World", Christopher Helm, 1986 (p. 299-300: identification, distribution, habits, movements, diagrams).
"Handbook of the Birds of the World: Vol 3: Hoatzin to Auks", Lynx Edicions, 1996 (p. 437: identification, distribution map, habits, habitat, migration, conservation).

By Ria Tan, 2001