Double-banded Plover

Double banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus )

The double- banded Plover (Charadrius bicinctus ) Banded Dotterel English and Double-banded Plover is a species of bird in the family of plovers ( Charadriidae ).

Dissemination

The species is on the South Island of New Zealand quite common in the north it is rarely encountered. The nominate is part of Overcoat, which breeds in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands and winters in Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji, other specimens remain in New Zealand. The subspecies of the Auckland Islands is sedentary, some birds migrate from their territories to the coast. The species lives on beaches, mud flats, grasslands and open soil.

Description

Adult birds in breeding plumage are white with a dark gray-brown back and have a significantly stepped -brown breast and a thin black band below the neck, between the eyes and beak. Younger birds have no bands, and are often mottled brown on the top and have less white space.

System

Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate Charadrius bicinctus bicinctus breeds in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, Charadrius bicinctus exilis on the Auckland Islands.