Charadrius dubius

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CHARADRIIFORMES	CHARADRIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Charadrius dubius

Species Authority:

Scopoli, 1786

Common Name/s:

English	–	Little Ringed Plover
French	–	Petit Gravelot

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Benin; Bhutan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Cambodia; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Christmas Island; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Gibraltar; Greece; Guam; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hong Kong; Hungary; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Latvia; Lebanon; Liberia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Netherlands; Niger; Nigeria; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Western Sahara; Yemen Vagrant: Australia; Burundi; Ireland; Martinique; Mauritius; Rwanda; Sao Tomé and Principe; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; United States; Zambia

Countries:

Native:

Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Benin; Bhutan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Cambodia; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Christmas Island; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Gibraltar; Greece; Guam; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hong Kong; Hungary; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Latvia; Lebanon; Liberia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Netherlands; Niger; Nigeria; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Western Sahara; Yemen

Vagrant:

Australia; Burundi; Ireland; Martinique; Mauritius; Rwanda; Sao Tomé and Principe; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; United States; Zambia

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour This species is fully migratory in much of its range. The European and North African populations migrate across the Sahara Desert between late-July and early-September (leaving breeding grounds June to mid-July) to reach wintering grounds in tropical Africa from late-August onwards¹. These population return to their breeding grounds from mid-March, where they breed April-June (Europe) or March-May (North Africa)¹. Siberian and other Asian populations migrate to wintering grounds in South-East Asia and India (only crossing Japan on the northward return migration)¹. Some populations in South-East Asia, India, New Guinea and the Philippines do not migrate but are sedentary or locally nomadic in response to water levels¹. This species is mainly solitary throughout the non-breeding season and on migration, occasionally occurring in flocks of not more than 10 individuals^{1, 4, 5}. It also breeds singly or in loose neighbourhood groups spaced 7-200 m apart¹. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species shows a preference for bare or sparsely vegetated sandy and pebbly shores of shallow standing freshwater pools, lakes or slow-flowing rivers^{1, 3, 5, 6}, including river islands, dry, stony riverbeds, sand, shingle or silt flats^{1, 3}, dry wadis and dune slacks⁵. This species may also utilise temporary artificial habitats such as gravel pits^{1, 5, 8} , sewage works, industrial wastelands^{1, 5} and refuse tips^{4, 5}, and may use open arable land on clay soil in exceptional circumstances³ (resident populations in India it can be found on wet grassland and rice paddy-fields)⁶. The species prefers lowland habitats and is rarely found above 800 m in Europe^{1, 5}, but where river banks, dry riverbeds, or islets offer suitable habitat it will penetrate further upstream, reaching higher than 2,000 m in Afghanistan (e.g. in the mountains of Kashmir where it occurs along the pebbly banks of fast-flowing mountain torrents)³, and even higher in the east Palearctic⁵. The species generally avoids rough or broken terrain, forest, cultivated land or pastures, and tall or dense vegetation including vegetated margins of inland waters⁵. It is also very rarely found on the coast, although it may occasionally visit saline inland pools and flats, intertidal areas on the seashore, mudflats, tidal creeks and brackish estuaries or lagoons (in India for example)^{1, 5, 6}. Non-breeding In its African wintering grounds this species favours extensive sandbanks³, muddy and sandy shores of rivers and lakes, residual flood waters, short grassy areas on dry ground around villages or near water, airfields and pastures^{2, 7}. It less commonly inhabits coastal areas such as saltpans, estuaries, creeks or rainwater pools on dry salt-flats bordering mangroves². The species prefers lowland habitats during the winter as well as during the breeding season and is rarely found above 800 m in its wintering range⁷. Diet The species is carnivorous, its diet consisting mainly of insects such as beetles, flies (especially larvae and pupae), ants, bugs, mayfly and dragonfly larvae, caddisflies, crickets and larval Lepidoptera, as well as spiders, freshwater shrimps and other small crustaceans, mussels, worms and snails^{1, 2, 3, 5}. Vegetation (such as the seeds of grasses, sedges, Polygonum and Compositae) is taken rarely and is likely to be ingested incidentally along with animal matter⁵. Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape on loose sand, dry mud or on flat, bare rocks surrounded by mud or sand^{2, 3}, sometimes amongst sparse vegetation^{1, 6} in the vicinity of water, and often on small islands¹ or adjacent farmland⁴. Nesting pairs have also been recorded on flat gravelled roofs⁵.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This species is fully migratory in much of its range. The European and North African populations migrate across the Sahara Desert between late-July and early-September (leaving breeding grounds June to mid-July) to reach wintering grounds in tropical Africa from late-August onwards¹. These population return to their breeding grounds from mid-March, where they breed April-June (Europe) or March-May (North Africa)¹. Siberian and other Asian populations migrate to wintering grounds in South-East Asia and India (only crossing Japan on the northward return migration)¹. Some populations in South-East Asia, India, New Guinea and the Philippines do not migrate but are sedentary or locally nomadic in response to water levels¹. This species is mainly solitary throughout the non-breeding season and on migration, occasionally occurring in flocks of not more than 10 individuals^{1, 4, 5}. It also breeds singly or in loose neighbourhood groups spaced 7-200 m apart¹. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species shows a preference for bare or sparsely vegetated sandy and pebbly shores of shallow standing freshwater pools, lakes or slow-flowing rivers^{1, 3, 5, 6}, including river islands, dry, stony riverbeds, sand, shingle or silt flats^{1, 3}, dry wadis and dune slacks⁵. This species may also utilise temporary artificial habitats such as gravel pits^{1, 5, 8} , sewage works, industrial wastelands^{1, 5} and refuse tips^{4, 5}, and may use open arable land on clay soil in exceptional circumstances³ (resident populations in India it can be found on wet grassland and rice paddy-fields)⁶. The species prefers lowland habitats and is rarely found above 800 m in Europe^{1, 5}, but where river banks, dry riverbeds, or islets offer suitable habitat it will penetrate further upstream, reaching higher than 2,000 m in Afghanistan (e.g. in the mountains of Kashmir where it occurs along the pebbly banks of fast-flowing mountain torrents)³, and even higher in the east Palearctic⁵. The species generally avoids rough or broken terrain, forest, cultivated land or pastures, and tall or dense vegetation including vegetated margins of inland waters⁵. It is also very rarely found on the coast, although it may occasionally visit saline inland pools and flats, intertidal areas on the seashore, mudflats, tidal creeks and brackish estuaries or lagoons (in India for example)^{1, 5, 6}. Non-breeding In its African wintering grounds this species favours extensive sandbanks³, muddy and sandy shores of rivers and lakes, residual flood waters, short grassy areas on dry ground around villages or near water, airfields and pastures^{2, 7}. It less commonly inhabits coastal areas such as saltpans, estuaries, creeks or rainwater pools on dry salt-flats bordering mangroves². The species prefers lowland habitats during the winter as well as during the breeding season and is rarely found above 800 m in its wintering range⁷. Diet The species is carnivorous, its diet consisting mainly of insects such as beetles, flies (especially larvae and pupae), ants, bugs, mayfly and dragonfly larvae, caddisflies, crickets and larval Lepidoptera, as well as spiders, freshwater shrimps and other small crustaceans, mussels, worms and snails^{1, 2, 3, 5}. Vegetation (such as the seeds of grasses, sedges, Polygonum and Compositae) is taken rarely and is likely to be ingested incidentally along with animal matter⁵. Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape on loose sand, dry mud or on flat, bare rocks surrounded by mud or sand^{2, 3}, sometimes amongst sparse vegetation^{1, 6} in the vicinity of water, and often on small islands¹ or adjacent farmland⁴. Nesting pairs have also been recorded on flat gravelled roofs⁵.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is threatened primarily by the degradation and loss of its preferred habitats^{1, 9}. Many of the species' breeding sites are also disturbed by human recreational activities¹. Increased flood regulation and pollution from oil and tar along the Mediterranean coast and the River Jordan has resulted in the degradation of the breeding sites in those areas¹. In China and South Korea important migrational staging areas around the coast of the Yellow Sea are being lost through land reclamation and degraded as a result of declining river flows (from water abstraction), increased pollution, unsustainable harvesting of benthic fauna and a reduction in the amount of sediment being carried into the area by the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers^{9, 12}. The species may also be susceptible to outbreaks of avian botulism¹⁰, and is potentially at risk from exposure to DDT's in southern India¹¹.

Major Threat(s):

This species is threatened primarily by the degradation and loss of its preferred habitats^{1, 9}. Many of the species' breeding sites are also disturbed by human recreational activities¹. Increased flood regulation and pollution from oil and tar along the Mediterranean coast and the River Jordan has resulted in the degradation of the breeding sites in those areas¹. In China and South Korea important migrational staging areas around the coast of the Yellow Sea are being lost through land reclamation and degraded as a result of declining river flows (from water abstraction), increased pollution, unsustainable harvesting of benthic fauna and a reduction in the amount of sediment being carried into the area by the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers^{9, 12}. The species may also be susceptible to outbreaks of avian botulism¹⁰, and is potentially at risk from exposure to DDT's in southern India¹¹.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Charadrius dubius. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 08 February 2012.
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