1. Little ringed plover – Charadrius dubius
Little ringed plover is a small bird with a body length of 15 cm, a wingspan of 35-40 cm, and a weight of 39 g. In an adult, the plumage of the upper body is brown, the bottom of the body is white, there is a characteristic bang on the head. Little ringed plover has a short beak and long, thin legs.
Little ringed plover is common in Europe, Asia and Africa. In Ukraine, it nests throughout the territory, except for the Crimea.
Little ringed plover is a migratory bird. It winters in Africa and South Asia. Little ringed plover nests on the sandy banks of rivers, lakes and other reservoirs. It builds a nest in a small pit covered with pebbles or little stones . There are 3-5 eggs in the little ringed plover's clutch. The eggs are incubated by the female and the male in turn. Chicks hatch after 22-24 days. After hatching, the chicks grow quickly and begin to fly after a few weeks.
The little ringed plover feeds on small invertebrates, which it finds on sandy soil.
Little ringed plover is a fairly common species, but in some regions its number is decreasing. The reasons for this are pollution of reservoirs, destruction of sandy shores and poaching.
In Ukraine, the little ringed plover is listed in the Red Book in the status of "Invaluable".
Photo: Volodymyr Kucherenko