Grey Plover

Pluvialis squatarola (Linnaeus, 1758)

2018-07-06 Yamal Yamal-Nenets autonomous region	© Alexander Yakovlev

Description

Adult Grey Plovers in summer plumage have black forehead, head-flanks, throat, breast and fore-belly; undertail and belly are white. Quit broad white band begins on forehead; passes over eye, ear, on flanks of neck, craw and breast; and bordered black underparts from mottled upperparts. Upper-head is white black-mottled on crown. Upperparts are black with numerous white spots. Uppertail and tail are white with longitudinal dark spots. Flight feathers are blackish with white patches on inner primaries and secondaries. Cores of all feathers are white. Axillaries are black. Bill and legs are black. Eyes are dark-brownish. The difference between male and female are not considerable; female have black-brownish color in place of black in male; also female have some white feathers on underparts. Adults in winter plumage have grayish-brown upperparts with white spots. Forehead, head-flanks and underparts are white with brownish mottles. Juveniles are same colored on winter adults but spots on upperparts are yellowish, but craw and flanks are great mottled by brownish streaks and spots. Sizes: wing - 120-205 mm, tarsus - 43-52 mm, bill - 25-35 mm. Weight: 189-285 grams.

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