Last Updated on August 4, 2019 by Kevin B Agar
I seem to have problems with identifying Sand Plovers. Even reading about the differences it’s still very difficult. Here are 2 shots that I originally IDed as Greater Sand Plovers but after posting them on Flickr they were questioned. Looking at them more closely you can see the small differences. The Lesser Sand Plover has a thinner bill which is shorter than the Greater Sand Plover. Also the legs are generally darker in the Lesser Sand Plover. One of the reasons I take photographs of birds, it’s easier to ID them than doing it in the field. This has made me change my previous post and add Lesser Sand Plover to the list 🙂
Even with the photographs I got it wrong 🙁 The 1st shot is a Kentish Plover and the 2nd shot is a Lesser Sand Plover
Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus
Lesser Sandplover, Charadrius mongolus