[Birdtalk] Fw: [Birdnet] Plover photo

[Steve Carr]

I sent the following reply to the Pluvialis Plover article and photo submitted by Keith Evans and Kris Purdy, but it didn't come through my e-mail, and I don't see it on the BirdLine, so I'll submit it again.  Apologies to those who may have received it yesterday.

So - who's going to take a stab at this plover photo?  Of course, unfortunately, we can't always tell from a single picture, but there are some features to go by.

I don't think it's a Black-bellied Plover because of the bill shape and size, the dark cap, the wing tips appear to be a tad longer than the tail, and the general overall coloration.

The general appearance is of a juvenile.  Some things suggesting a Pacific Golden-Plover - the heavy yellowish coloration (although the setting on the camera may affect that to some degree), the wing tip:tail appearance, the darker ear marking.  Pacific's are supposed to have somewhat longer legs than American's, and these legs look quite long.  Most Americans by now, both juvenile and non-breeding adults, have a lot of whitish speckling on the back, but not much "golden," and they don't show that much yellowish wash in the cheeks (again, possibly a camera artifact). The bill might tend a little toward the American, but maybe not.  I've also heard some professional Field Ornithologists say that in the fall/winter, it's often more difficult to tell an American Go-Pl from a Black-bellied Plover, than it is between the American and Pacific Go-Plovers.

If it's a juvenile Pacific, that would explain its inland straying (not exactly knowing where it's supposed to go).  I've seen a fair number of Pacific's in winter plumage in Hawaii, and they looked a lot like this specimen.

--Steve Carr





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> The Plover photo taken at the Antelope Island Causeway by Keith Evans and 
> submitted by Kris Purdy has been posted on the Hotline Photo page at the 
> following address:
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> http://utahbirds.org/hotlinephotos/index.html<http://utahbirds.org/hotlinephotos/index.html>
>
>
>
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