Red-capped Plover
A species of Typical plovers Scientific name : Charadrius ruficapillus Genus : Typical plovers
Red-capped Plover, A species of Typical plovers
Botanical name: Charadrius ruficapillus
Genus: Typical plovers
Content
Description General Info
Description
Red-capped plovers have a white forehead and underparts. Their upperparts are mainly grey-brown. Adult males have a rufous or reddish-brown crown and hindneck. Adult females have a paler rufous and grey-brown crown and hindneck, with a pale loreal stripe. The upperwing of Charadrius ruficapillus shows dark brown remiges (flight feathers) and primary covert feathers with a white wingbar in flight. Its length is 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in) and its wingspan is 27–34 cm (10.6–13.4 in); it weighs 35–40 g (1.2–1.4 oz). Breeding plumage shows a red-brown crown and nape with black margins. Non-breeding plumage is duller and lacks the black margins.
Size
16 cm
Feeding Habits
Red-capped Plover primarily consumes small invertebrates, including molluscs, crustaceans, and worms. Its feeding behavior involves foraging along coastal shores, utilizing its keen eyesight and swift movements to capture prey. Red-capped Plover has specialized in this diet, reflecting a unique adaptation to its shoreline habitat.
Habitat
Red-capped Plover primarily dwells in coastal and inland wetlands across broader geographical regions such as Australia and has been a vagrant to New Zealand. This species inhabits estuaries, bays, beaches, and adjacent mudflats and sandflats, with a preference for saline environments like saltmarshes and saltpans. Additionally, red-capped Plover can be found in inland regions favoring exposed salt lakes and artificial wetlands, including sewage ponds and saltworks, often characterized by bare ground suitable for foraging and nesting.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The red-capped plover is widespread in Australia; it is a vagrant to New Zealand, although it bred there for some time in small numbers from 1950–1980. The species occupies a range of coastal and inland habitats, including estuaries, bays, beaches, sandflats, and mudflats; inland saline wetlands. It is also found in inland wetland areas with bare ground.
Species Status
With a large range and no evidence of significant population decline, this species' conservation status is of Least Concern.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Shorebirds Family
Plovers Genus
Typical plovers Species
Red-capped Plover