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Birds and Butterflies of Rhodes
RODOPTERA
Charadrius dubius
Little ringed plover. Greek: πoταμoσφυριχτής. Haraki, April 2023.
Breeding migrant, wide distribution in small numbers. April to September. Length 15-20 cm, wingspan 30-35 cm. Sexes similar. River banks, riverbed pools, beaches, always close to fresh water. Feeds in shallow water and on dry ground, takes mainly insects, but also worms, small crustaceans. Characteristic trot-and-freeze foraging method. Males dispute feeding territories with aggressive puffed-up posture in face-to-face encounters. Elaborate courtship display flight with repeated calls. Nests on open ground with shingle in shallow scrape often behind larger stones. Leaves nest if danger imminent relying on good camouflage of eggs. Both parents use ‘broken-wing’ tactics to divert predators from nest, chicks.
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