Greater Sand-Plover

1. Large, square head and long, thick black bill

2. Grey-brown upperparts with white underparts and pale eyebrow in non-breeding plumage

3. Breeding males show chestnut breast and forehead with a bold black mask; females are duller

Greater Sand Plovers forage by running and pausing to pick prey from the surface, feeding mainly on marine worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and insects. They are gregarious outside the breeding season, often foraging and roosting in mixed flocks with other shorebirds. Unlike some other plovers, they rarely use foot-trembling to disturb prey. Breeding occurs in the open, arid and semi-arid regions of central Asia, where they lay eggs in shallow scrapes on bare ground near water.

Greater Sand Plovers are widespread along Australia’s northern and northwestern coasts, with smaller numbers extending southward along the east and occasionally to the south and Tasmania. They are most often found on open sandy or muddy shores, tidal mudflats, estuaries, and sandbanks, especially during low tide when they feed actively. At high tide, they gather in loose flocks to roost, sometimes mixing with other shorebirds. Their presence is most reliable from mid-August to late April, with a few non-breeding individuals occasionally overwintering.