Greater Sand Plover

This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Charadrius leschenaultii

Malay Name: Rapang-Sisir Besar

Chinese Name: 铁嘴沙鸻

Range: Found from Turkey to Jordon, Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia and northern China, wintering along the coasts of Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, southern China, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australasia

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: columbinus, scythicus, leschenaultii.

Local Subspecies: leschenaultii

Size: 22-25 cm

Identification: Resembles Tibetan Sand Plover in both breeding and non-breeding plumages but larger with broader head, thicker bill and proportionately longer and yellowish legs. Usually observed to be in full non-breeding plumage in Singapore at the start of autumn migration when most Tibetan Sand Plovers still have traces of breeding plumage on them.

Similar looking species: Kentish Plover, Tibetan Sand Plover, Oriental Plover, White-faced Plover, Javan Plover

Habitat: Mudflats and sandy shores.

Behaviour/Ecology: Associates with other feeding shorebirds, especially Lesser Sand Plover.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Featured reports: Aug 2022, Sep 2022, Dec 2022, Feb 2023, Aug 2023, Sep 2023

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2016 to Jun 2023 (all records)
Peak week Sep 03-Sep 09
Early date 14 Jul 2017
Late date 27 May 1988
An uncommon wader, with most records in August and September. Often associates with Lesser Sand Plover.
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam. Photo credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Greater Sand-Plover)

References:

BirdLife International. (2019). Charadrius leschenaultii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22693862A153879900.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Greater Sand Plover. Retrieved on December 7, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/greater-sand-plover.

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