Description:

Small size plover with black eyepatch, broad rufous-red breast band and hind neck collar; legs typically longer and dark grey. Breeding male typically shows full black mask and forehead and more extensive rufous on breast. In flight, feet do not usually extend beyond tail and white wing-bar is narrower across primaries.

Distribution:

Uncommon passage migrant through Gilgit-Baltistan, and common summer visitor in Skardu. Mostly prefers mountain steppe, mud flats or sandy banks of wetlands, lakes, streams and also grasslands. In the areas occurs up to 4200m.

Behavior:

May wade up to breast in water and insert entire bill into mud, foraging behavior generally running longer and more frequently, and pausing for shorter periods. Feeds solitarily or in scattered flocks. Sometimes forages at night. Diet includes insects, crustaceans, molluscs, particularly bivalves and worms. In breeding areas many beetles, and also fly larvae.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Lesser Sand-Plover in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Lesser Sand-Plover

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.