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Crab plover : Species Of Shorebirds

Crab plover : Species Of Shorebirds

For the first time, breeding nests of crab-plovers spotted at Great Vedaranyam Swamp near Point Calimere, Tamil Nadu.

  • Crab-plover is a long-legged, black and white bird of Indian Ocean coasts, related to plovers and allied species of shorebirds.
  • This is the only shorebird that lays white eggs, and chicks remain inside the burrows until the fledging stage.
  • The chicks are semi-nidifugous, unlike chicks of other shorebirds that leave the nests shortly after hatching.
  • They are residents of the coasts and islands of the Indian Ocean.
  • They breed around the Arabian Sea of Pakistan, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Somalia, the Andaman Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Madagascar.
  • These birds inhabit sandy coastlines, mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, exposed coral reefs, and rocky shorelines.
  • During the breeding season, they can also be found in sand dunes.
  • Conservation Status
    • IUCN: Least Concern