Pacific golden plover

The Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva) is a medium-sized plover. The genus name is Latin and means relating to rain, from pluvia, "rain". It was believed that golden plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The species name fulva is Latin and refers to a tawny colour.[2]

Pacific golden plover
In breeding plumage at Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Alaska
In non-breeding plumage at Laem Pak Bia, Thailand

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadriidae
Genus: Pluvialis
Species:
P. fulva
Binomial name
Pluvialis fulva
(Gmelin, 1789)
Range of P. fulva     Breeding      Passage      Non-breeding      Vagrant (seasonality uncertain)
Synonyms

Charadrius fulvus
Pluvialis dominica fulva

In transition from non-breeding to breeding plumage

The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, and back on the wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border, and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black. In winter, the black is lost and the plover then has a yellowish face and breast, and white underparts.

It is similar to two other golden plovers: the Eurasian and American plovers. The Pacific golden plover is smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged than the European golden plover, Pluvialis apricaria, which also has white axillary (armpit) feathers. Overall, the Pacific golden plover is found to be more similar to the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, with which it was once considered conspecific as "lesser golden plover".[3] The Pacific golden plover is slimmer than the American species, has a shorter primary projection, longer legs, and is usually found to have more yellow on the back.

This wader forages for food on tundra, fields, beaches and tidal flats, usually by sight. It eats insects and crustaceans and some berries.

The breeding habitat of Pacific golden plover is the Arctic tundra from northernmost Eurosiberia into western Alaska. It nests on the ground in a dry open area.

It is migratory and winters in south Asia and Australasia. A few winter in California and Hawaii, USA. In Hawaii, the bird is known as the kōlea, and in New Zealand it is known to Māori as kuriri. It is very rare vagrant to western Europe. They return to the same wintering territory each year, which allowed scientists in Hawaii to attach tiny light level geolocator devices to the birds and then retrieve them the following year in the same location. This research revealed that these birds make the 4800 km non-stop flight between Alaska and Hawaii in 3–4 days.[4]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Pluvialis fulva". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T22693735A38568056. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22693735A38568056.en.
  2. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 166, 311. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. Sangster, George; Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J. & Parkin, David T. (2002): Taxonomic recommendations for European birds . Ibis 144(1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x
  4. Marshall, Tom (June 13, 2011). "Plovers tracked across the Pacific". Phys.org. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
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