Greater Sand-Plover

The greater sand plover is a small plover that breeds in the semi-deserts of Turkey and eastwards through Central Asia, nesting in a bare ground scrape. It is strongly migratory, wintering on sandy beaches in East Africa, South Asia and Australasia. Three subspecies are recognised, differing in bill size and in the strength of the orange breast band in summer. It was until recently placed in the genus Charadrius (Wikipedia, general species account). (Wikipedia, general species account).

There are three subspecies: A. l. leschenaultii, the nominate, in the east of the species' range in Mongolia and NW China. A. l. scythicus, in the centre of the species' range in Central Asia. A. l. columbinus, in the west of the species' range in SW Asia west to central Turkey. Its food comprises insects, crustaceans and annelid worms, which are obtained by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some other wader groups. (Wikipedia, general species account).