Charadrius mongolus

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 mongolus

Species Authority:

Pallas, 1776

Common Name/s:

English	–	Lesser Sand Plover, Lesser Sand-Plover, Mongolian Dotterel, Mongolian Plover
French	–	Pluvier de Mongolie

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 is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds 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; Australia; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Brunei Darussalam; Burundi; Cambodia; China; Christmas Island; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Fiji; Guam; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Japan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Mongolia; Mozambique; Myanmar; Nepal; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; United Arab Emirates; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Yemen Vagrant: Bhutan; Canada; Comoros; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Denmark; France; Germany; Israel; Kazakhstan; Madagascar; Mauritius; Namibia; Norway; Poland; Rwanda; Spain; Sweden; Syrian Arab Republic; Vanuatu; Zambia; Zimbabwe Present - origin uncertain: Nauru

Countries:

Native:

Afghanistan; Australia; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Brunei Darussalam; Burundi; Cambodia; China; Christmas Island; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Fiji; Guam; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Japan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Mongolia; Mozambique; Myanmar; Nepal; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; United Arab Emirates; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Yemen

Vagrant:

Bhutan; Canada; Comoros; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Denmark; France; Germany; Israel; Kazakhstan; Madagascar; Mauritius; Namibia; Norway; Poland; Rwanda; Spain; Sweden; Syrian Arab Republic; Vanuatu; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Present - origin uncertain:

Nauru

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour This species is fully migratory, with four definable groups migrating on a broad front to different wintering grounds¹. In central Siberia, flocks form in early July and depart for their winter quarters in early-August to early-September (adults leaving first), to arrive in India, south Arabia and East Africa in early-August to mid-September¹. Populations breeding in eastern Russia, Kamchatka, the Commander Islands and the Chukitsk Peninsula, winter from Taiwan to Australia³, leaving their breeding grounds late-July to early-September¹. The population breeding in the Himalayas and southern Tibet winters in a range or areas from India to Sumatra³, returning to its breeding grounds between late-February to April (reaching them between mid-April and mid-May)¹. The fourth migratory group of this species breeds in eastern Tibet and winters from Thailand to the Greater Sundas³. Many non-breeding birds may also stay in their winter quarters all year round^{1, 3}. During the non-breeding season the species may occur singly or in flocks of up to 100 or more, but nesting pairs are solitary and territorial during the breeding season^{2, 4}. This species is mainly diurnal but sometimes forages on moonlit nights^{1, 4}. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species mainly occurs above the tree-line on mountains at altitudes of up to 5,500 m in the Himalayas(Ladakh, Sikkim, and Tibet)^{1, 3, 4}. It inhabits barren valleys and basins in elevated tundra and mountain steppe, mainly near water (bogs) on moist but well-drained gravelly, rocky or sandy surfaces with sparse vegetation such as salt-pans, patches of detritus, dry edges of salt-marshes and places used by herds of cattle¹. In Siberia and the Commander (Komandorskiye) Islands the species also occurs at sea-level, here inhabiting sand dunes and shingle along the coast^{1, 3}. Non-breeding The species is almost strictly coastal during the non-breeding season, preferring sandy beaches, mudflats of coastal bays and estuaries, sand-flats and dunes near the coast^{1, 2}, occasionally frequenting mangrove mudflats (in Australia)⁷ and feeding on exposed coral reefs (Solomon Islands, Pacific)⁶. Very rarely the species also frequents coastal airfields¹, and during migration it may be seen on the shores of inland lakes (e.g. the East African Great Lakes)^{2, 6} and rivers, or on cultivated land^{3, 5}. Diet Breeding The breeding diet of this species includes many beetles, weevils, fly larvae, stalk worms and crabs¹. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season this species takes insects, crustaceans (such as crabs and amphipods), molluscs (particularly bivalves) and polycheate worms¹. Breeding site The nest of this species is a shallow scrape in bare sand or shingle (nesting pairs may often utilise cattle footprints), sometimes beside bushes and big stones (or amongst lichens and Drias in the Far East)¹.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This species is fully migratory, with four definable groups migrating on a broad front to different wintering grounds¹. In central Siberia, flocks form in early July and depart for their winter quarters in early-August to early-September (adults leaving first), to arrive in India, south Arabia and East Africa in early-August to mid-September¹. Populations breeding in eastern Russia, Kamchatka, the Commander Islands and the Chukitsk Peninsula, winter from Taiwan to Australia³, leaving their breeding grounds late-July to early-September¹. The population breeding in the Himalayas and southern Tibet winters in a range or areas from India to Sumatra³, returning to its breeding grounds between late-February to April (reaching them between mid-April and mid-May)¹. The fourth migratory group of this species breeds in eastern Tibet and winters from Thailand to the Greater Sundas³. Many non-breeding birds may also stay in their winter quarters all year round^{1, 3}. During the non-breeding season the species may occur singly or in flocks of up to 100 or more, but nesting pairs are solitary and territorial during the breeding season^{2, 4}. This species is mainly diurnal but sometimes forages on moonlit nights^{1, 4}. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species mainly occurs above the tree-line on mountains at altitudes of up to 5,500 m in the Himalayas(Ladakh, Sikkim, and Tibet)^{1, 3, 4}. It inhabits barren valleys and basins in elevated tundra and mountain steppe, mainly near water (bogs) on moist but well-drained gravelly, rocky or sandy surfaces with sparse vegetation such as salt-pans, patches of detritus, dry edges of salt-marshes and places used by herds of cattle¹. In Siberia and the Commander (Komandorskiye) Islands the species also occurs at sea-level, here inhabiting sand dunes and shingle along the coast^{1, 3}. Non-breeding The species is almost strictly coastal during the non-breeding season, preferring sandy beaches, mudflats of coastal bays and estuaries, sand-flats and dunes near the coast^{1, 2}, occasionally frequenting mangrove mudflats (in Australia)⁷ and feeding on exposed coral reefs (Solomon Islands, Pacific)⁶. Very rarely the species also frequents coastal airfields¹, and during migration it may be seen on the shores of inland lakes (e.g. the East African Great Lakes)^{2, 6} and rivers, or on cultivated land^{3, 5}. Diet Breeding The breeding diet of this species includes many beetles, weevils, fly larvae, stalk worms and crabs¹. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season this species takes insects, crustaceans (such as crabs and amphipods), molluscs (particularly bivalves) and polycheate worms¹. Breeding site The nest of this species is a shallow scrape in bare sand or shingle (nesting pairs may often utilise cattle footprints), sometimes beside bushes and big stones (or amongst lichens and Drias in the Far East)¹.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is threatened by habitat degradation and loss (e.g. agricultural developments reducing the area of coastal and inland habitats, and hydrological changes to estuaries modifying important areas of suitable habitat in Australia ), as well as disturbance from tourism⁷.

Major Threat(s):

This species is threatened by habitat degradation and loss (e.g. agricultural developments reducing the area of coastal and inland habitats, and hydrological changes to estuaries modifying important areas of suitable habitat in Australia ), as well as disturbance from tourism⁷.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Charadrius mongolus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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