Pacific Golden Plover

Pacific Golden Plover - photo by USDA NRCS

Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) - Order: CICONIIFORMES Family: Charadriidae. Size: 9-11" (23-28 cm). This bird is a scarce passage migrant in Haryana region. It is mainly found in the wetlands. A quail-sized plover. Similar to American Golden-Plover but more slender. In breeding plumage, has narrow white stripe along flanks and mottled black and white undertail coverts. In winter plumage, has buff (not white) eyebrow, warmer brown upperparts, buff underparts. Juvenile similar to American but buffier, with buff eyebrow. The Pacific Golden-Plover is a long-distance migrant.

Habitat: Breeds on tundra; on migration, found on coastal beaches and mudflats.
Range: Breeds along coast of Bering Sea in Alaska. Winters locally along Pacific Coast of California. Also in Asia.
Nesting: 3 or 4 buff eggs, spotted with brown, in a shallow depression lined with moss, usually on a ridge.
Voice: A mellow quee-lee-lee.