Kentish Plover; Chorlitejo Patinegro

Description:

Before you jump up and say "No its not, its a..." read the story, and take a close look! This is all about mimetics! On the left foreground is a female adult Kentish Plover, do you see her now? Behind her and even further to the left, at the edge of the pictures, is a baby plover in its nesting hollow, clearly visible but at the same time well disguised. The female is trying to keep away the 2 Common Terns which have just arrived and want to nest in the same spot! Notice how she threatens then first, then plays dead, and feigns injury to a wing, and all the time edging them further away from her chick. The Common terns will be the subject of their own spotting a little later.

Habitat:

Coastal marshes

Notes:

Plover eggs are larger than normal because the chick does not hatch like most birds and get fed by the parents, instead it stays inside the egg until it has devoured all the food and grown feathers for its wings. When it finally hatches it will be ready to run within a day or so because if it doesn't it will likely become food for one of the larger birds! When threatened they will bury themselves in the sand while the adults, usually several of them, either play "broken wing" or fly around in circles to drive away predators.