One of the 6 plovers on WAnimals
Birds · Charadriiformes · Charadriidae
European Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricaria
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The European golden plover breeds on the peat bogs and tundra of northern Europe and spends the winter in large flocks across the farmland and marshes of the west and south of the continent, including much of the Iberian Peninsula. In breeding plumage the back is spangled with golden flecks and the belly is black; in winter it loses the black and becomes an unobtrusive beige bird. Its winter flocks can gather thousands of birds alongside lapwings.
Weight
140 g – 250 g
Size
26 cm – 29 cm
Life expectancy
15 years
