Greater Sand : Spotted
A Greater sand-plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) that normally prefers sea shores, has been spotted in an urban tank in Coimbatore.
- Greater sand-plover is known for long distance migration.
- It is a medium-sized plover with a long hefty bill.
- Breeding adults have a dark mask and orangish chest, neck, and forehead; females duller than males.
- Non-breeding birds and immatures are sandy brown above and white below, with a white throat and “eyebrows.”
- Unlike some Lesser Sand-Plovers, Greater never has a black boundary around the throat.
- It breeds in high-elevation areas, where it favors arid, open habitats, sometimes near water. Winters on coastal mudflats and estuaries.
- It breeds during April to May in central Asia, late March to late May in Turkey and upto late June in Armenia.
- It winters in the shores of Indian and Australian Oceans after the breeding.
