Little Ringed Plover

The little ringed plover is a small plover with a grey-brown back and wings, a brown cap, a white forehead, a white belly and breast crossed by one black neckband, and a black mask round the eye with a noticeable yellow eye-ring. The bill is short and dark and the legs flesh-coloured. It differs from the larger common ringed plover in its head pattern, leg colour and clear yellow eye-ring (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds on open gravel near fresh water, such as river edges, islands and gravel pits, nesting on stony ground with little or no plant growth, and both sexes take turns to incubate. It forages by sight on muddy ground, eating mainly insects and worms. Many populations are migratory. SoIB 2023 lists it as resident and a winter migrant in India with a very large range, estimates a long-term decline of about 57% and a current fall of about 4.5% a year, and rates it a High conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).