Kittlitz's plover (Anarhynchus pecuarius) is a small shorebird (35–40 g) in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Delta and Madagascar. It is thought to be mainly polygamous and has monomorphic plumage.

Description

left|thumb|Illustration by [[Heinrich von Kittlitz, after whom the species is named]]

Kittlitz's plover is a small shorebird weighing between 35 and 40 grams. Both males and females share similar physical characteristics, with a black bill, dark brown eyes framed by black eyelids, and black legs, although at times, the legs can appear greenish or grey. During the breeding season, During the breeding season, the male displays distinct features, including a white forehead, a blackish bar followed by a narrow white bar on the forecrown, while the remainder of the crown appears brown with sandy tips on the feathers. A black stripe, separated from the crown by a white superciliary stripe, runs from the bill through the eye and extends to the side of the neck, forming a collar across the upper mantle. The mantle is dark grey-brown, and the other upperparts are sooty brown with feathers featuring sandy rufous margins. The face, chin and upper throat are white, while the rest of the underparts take on a yellowish hue, with a pale belly. Kittlitz's plover possesses blackish central tail feathers that progressively become lighter towards the tail's sides, and the outer one or two pairs are completely white. Notably, Kittlitz's plover is not sexually size dimorphic, meaning that males and females share similar size characteristics. The female plumage closely resembles that of the male, although the black band across the forecrown is narrower. The non-breeding plumage does not differ significantly from the breeding plumage. In this stage, the eye stripe takes on a browner shade, and the frontal bar is absent, while the underparts become considerably paler. Generally, adult Kittlitz's plovers exhibit a wing length ranging from 100 to 110 mm, an adult bill length between 15 and 23 mm, and an adult tarsus length between 26 and 33 mm. Juvenile Kittlitz's plovers closely resemble adults; however, they lack the black face marks, their upperparts appear brown, the hindneck collar is buff in color, and their underparts are white.

Distribution, movement and habitat

Distribution

Kittlitz's plover is distributed throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, but is also native to Madagascar and the Nile River Delta. A genetic study reported genetic differentiation between Madagascar and the mainland population. It is common in South Africa, however rarer in arid regions of Botswana and Namibia. In Namibia, it mostly inhabits coastal regions, highlands and Ovamboland. It is more scarce in the southern lowveld of South Africa and patchy in the interior of KwaZulu-Natal and the eastern Cape. Usually it avoids mountains or densely wooded areas.

In Madagascar, Kittlitz's plover is both a breeding resident and intra-island migrant although it has been recorded at up to 1,400 m too. There is limited evidence for comparable variation in Madagascar. In the lower Mangoky basin for instance, they are thought to be resident, whereas at the Lake Tsimanampetsotsa, ringed adults have been recorded to have moved 113 km to Ifaty.

During fights, the males give a buzzy call in aggressive or courtship chases,

When male or female are feigning injury, they give a 'cheep-cheep' and when a parent is inviting the young to brood, it gives a 'chip-chip' and the young are being warned with a 'trr-trr'. Copulation and feeding both take place in the territories, which can occupy 3600–4200m². The parents are highly defensive of their territories until the chicks hatch. When intruders invade their territory representing a threat, the parents run after them, stopping shortly in front of them, taking on an upright posture with their legs almost straight and their head up. and consists of a scrape-ceremony, where one bird is placing its breast on the sand, then rotating around on the breast, whilst having its tail raised and kicking out sand with back- and forward movements of its legs.

Usually, the male takes the initiative of making several scrapes (although sometimes both parents take turns in making them) Both parents pick up pebbles or break off bits of dead vegetation as nest material to line the nest with. Sometimes the old scrape may be reused, probably by the same pair.

Kittlitz's plovers lay 1–3 eggs (usually 2) at 1–2 day intervals. When a parent leaves the nest during the day or when the nest is approached by a predator, the parent usually covers the eggs

Threats

Kittlitz's plover is mainly threatened by habitat loss due to wetland degradation. For example, one of the key wetland sites in southern Africa, Walvis Bay in Namibia, has been subject to degradation and destruction due to the building of roads, disturbance from tourists and wetland reclamation for the development of suburbs and ports. In Ghana, wetlands are threatened by coastal erosion and developments that include drainage and wetland reclamation

References

  • Kittlitz plover – Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
  • Kittlitz's plover Structured guide to the species in southern Africa