Bird
Bird
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
The Black-bellied Plover is a large, robust shorebird that visits Trinidad's coastal mudflats each year after breeding on high Arctic tundra, its plain grey non-breeding plumage giving little hint of its striking black-and-white breeding dress seen further north.
The Black-bellied Plover is a large, robust shorebird that visits Trinidad's coastal mudflats each year after breeding on high Arctic tundra, its plain grey non-breeding plumage giving little hint of its striking black-and-white breeding dress seen further north.
Identification
A large plover around 27 to 31 cm long. In the non-breeding plumage seen in Trinidad it is mottled grey-brown above and pale below, with a stout black bill and black axillary ("armpit") feathers visible in flight, a key field mark distinguishing it from the smaller American Golden-Plover. Its upright stance and large head are also distinctive.
Migration
A non-breeding migrant present in Trinidad roughly from August to April, having bred on high Arctic tundra across northern Canada, Alaska, and Russia. It winters along coastlines throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, and is absent from Trinidad outside this non-breeding season.
Status in T&T
A fairly common non-breeding visitor to coastal mudflats and beaches across Trinidad, generally in small numbers rather than dense flocks. Not threatened, and it is protected as a migratory species under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.
