Adult Greater Sand Plover in summer plumage have black forehead, lore and ear coverts. Upper-head and nape are rufous, upperparts are grayish-buffy greenish tinged. Chin, throat and breast, abdomen and undertail are white, with broad rufous band on craw. Flight feathers are brownish with white bases of some feathers. Greater wing coverts are with white tips, other wing coverts with pale edges. Tail feathers grayish-brown, outer pair is almost white. Bill is black, legs are dark-greenish, almost black. Eyes are dark-brownish. Female in summer plumage have on head the dark brown parts in place of black, upperparts are paler, rufous band on breast is paler than on male. Adults in winter plumage are distinguished by the narrow pale of upperparts feathers; grayish not clear band on craw; absence of black parts on head; white forehead and brownish ear-coverts. Juveniles are similar on winter adults but upperparts are darker with whitish edges of feathers. Forehead, lore and flanks with buffy tinge, nape is pale-grey.
Not Threatened.
Adult Greater Sand Plover in summer plumage have black forehead, lore and ear coverts. Upper-head and nape are rufous, upperparts are grayish-buffy greenish tinged. Chin, throat and breast, abdomen and undertail are white, with broad rufous band on craw. Flight feathers are brownish with white bases of some feathers. Greater wing coverts are with white tips, other wing coverts with pale edges. Tail feathers grayish-brown, outer pair is almost white. Bill is black, legs are dark-greenish, almost black. Eyes are dark-brownish. Female in summer plumage have on head the dark brown parts in place of black, upperparts are paler, rufous band on breast is paler than on male. Adults in winter plumage are distinguished by the narrow pale of upperparts feathers; grayish not clear band on craw; absence of black parts on head; white forehead and brownish ear-coverts. Juveniles are similar on winter adults but upperparts are darker with whitish edges of feathers. Forehead, lore and flanks with buffy tinge, nape is pale-grey.
wing 133-150, bill 21-25 mm. Weight: 71 – 103 gram.
Taxonomy:
- Charadrius Leschenaultii Lesson, 1826, Pondicherry, India. Three subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * columbinus Wagler, 1829 - Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and S Afghanistan; winters Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and SE Mediterranean. * crassirostris (Severtsov, 1873) - Transcaspia to SE Kazakhstan; winters in E & SE Africa. * leschenaultii Lesson, 1826 - W China (Dzungaria), S Mongolia (N Gobi Desert), S Siberia (Tuvinskaya) and Altai Mts; winters Australasia.
The Greater Sand Plover is entirely coastal in NSW, foraging on intertidal sand and mudflats in estuaries, and roosting during high tide on sandy beaches or rocky shores Within Australia, individuals have also been recorded on inshore reefs, rock platforms, small rocky islands and sand cays on coral reefs (Morris 1989). Occasional sightings have also occurred on near-coast saltlakes, brackish swamps, shallow freshwater wetlands and grassed paddocks
Prey is detected visually by running a short distance, stopping to look, then running to collect the prey. The species diet includes insects, crustaceans and molluscs
Breeding in separate pairs, quite far one of other. Nest is built in shallow hole, scarcely lined with grass, saline crusts or small stones, at distance up to 1-2 km of water. Clutches of 3 eggs found in April - mid-June. Long time, when nests with eggs recorded, proposed repeated breeding after loss of first clutches. Both parents incubate and care for juveniles, which hatch in May and begin to fly from early June - end July. After this broods begin to disperse, sometimes two-three broods join together. About autumn migration there is no data.