Magellanic Plover

This species is in its structure and habits much like a turnstone, but it cannot be confused with any other wader species. Its upperparts and breast are pale grey, and the rest of the underparts are white. It has short red legs, a black bill and red eyes. In young birds, the eyes and legs are yellowish in colour, and the plumage is grey overall with scaling. The call is a dovelike coo.

The Magellanic Plover is classified as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

The Magellanic Plover is an enigmatic shorebird confined to the southern tip of South America. Although traditionally included among the plovers , it is an odd, almost dove-shaped wader that behaves more like a turnstone than anything else (left; an adult photographed by Alvaro Jaramillo). It breeds around upland lakes in Tierra del Fuego, preferring shallow saline lakes with shores laden with salt deposits. More

The Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis is, like the seedsnipes, one of the very special waders of the southern tip of the Americas. Hayman (1987) described Magellanic Plovers as follows: "a rare and beautiful soft grey-and-white wader found only around the southern tip of South America. It is unusual in a number of respects, not at least its habit of feeding its young by r�gurgitation, which is unique among waders. More

Magellanic Plover, breeds by saline lakes in Patagonia. Order: Charadriiformes Family: Pluvianellidae The Magellanic Plover is a rare wader found only in southernmost South America. In its build and habits it is similar to a turnstone. Its upperparts and breast are pale grey, and the rest of the underparts are white. It has short red legs, a black bill and a red eye. In young birds, the eyes and legs are yellowish in colour. More

The Magellanic Plover, Pluvianellus socialis, is a rare and unique wader found only in southernmost South America. It was long placed in with the other plovers in the family Charadriidae, however behavioural evidence suggested they were distinct, and molecular studies confirmed this, suggesting that they are actually more closely related to the sheathbills, a uniquely Antarctic family. As such it is now placed in its own family, Pluvianellidae. More

local Magellanic Plover will be our main target here. Chile's Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful national parks in the world. A huge diversity of habitats includes steppes, shrublands and Nothofagus forests, all set in a landscape of extraordinary beauty and dramatic mountains and glaciers. More

The Magellanic plover has unusually short legs and a bill that is unusually sharp for a plover. Some scientists consider the Magellanic plover more closely related to turnstones than to plovers; some place it in its own family, Pluvianellidae. Physical characteristics Charadriids are chunky, small to medium-sized shore-birds with short to medium-length legs, and a bill that is usually shorter than the head. More

Magellanic Plovers feed on small invertebrates, picked from the ground, or from under pebbles, again like a turnstone. They have been observed collecting worms in the bill in a similar fashion to a puffin. References - 1. ^ BirdLife International (2006). Pluvianellus socialis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. More

A rare and attractive wading bird, the Magellanic plover has a plump, dove-like body with soft, pale grey plumage on the head and upper body. The upper breast is silvery grey, often with a brown tinge, while the underparts are uniform white. In ... More

Breeding populations of the Magellanic plover are found in extreme southern Chile and southern Argentina (2) (3). While some individuals reside in this area throughout the year, others winter further north in the Valdés peninsula, south-central Argentina, and sometimes as far as Buenos Aires province (3). View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. More

Magellanic Plover - COMPLETE - 1 OUT OF 1 SPECIES REPRESENTED ... ... Magellanic Plover - Photo copyright Martin Reid Magellanic Plover Photo copyright Martin Reid ... Thick-knees - COMPLETE - 9 OUT OF 9 SPECIES REPRESENTED ... More

Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis Sandpipers & Allies | Scolopacidae South American Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Surfbird Aphriza virgata Red Knot Calidris canutus Sanderling Calidris alba White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii More

Magellanic Plover, Santa Cruz, Argentina, Lake north of Rio Galleagos 5th November © Gary Leach Juvenile Send this as a postcard Magellanic Plover - Magellanic Plover, Argentina, near San Julian nov 2003 © Paul Noakes Magellanic Plover - Magellanic Plover, Chile, Tierra del Fuego 10-Nov-2008 © Nick Athanas Tropical Birding Send this as a postcard Magellanic Plover More

The Magellanic Plover, Pluvianellus socialis, is a rare and unique wader found only in southernmost South America. Its relationships with the plovers and other wader groups are uncertain, and it is often placed in its own family, Pluvianellidae. This species is not migratory, although some birds move further north in southern Argentina in winter. More