Description
The Little Ringed Plover is a small bird with light brown plumage on its upperparts and white on its underparts. It has a distinctive black ring around its neck and a black bar across its forehead. Its legs are a vivid yellow. This species feeds mainly on insects and small invertebrates found along the banks of rivers and lakes. The Little Ringed Plover is a migrant that moves to warmer regions to overwinter. It prefers sandy or gravelly habitats near water. The breeding season begins in the spring, and nests are built on the ground, well camouflaged among the pebbles. When threatened, adults often pretend to have a broken wing to distract predators from their nests.
The Situation in Italian-Speaking Switzerland
In the Canton of Ticino, the Little Bittern is a rare breeding bird. The Ticino population is still fairly small. It currently consists of only 3–5 pairs found along the Ticino and Maggia rivers, at Bolle di Magadino, and in Loderio. The species primarily inhabits pebbly and sandy riverbanks suitable for nesting and hunting, as well as lowland sand quarries, including those still in operation. In 2010, the “Conservation Plan for the Avifauna Typical of the Floodplains of the Canton of Ticino” was developed for the Little Ringed Plover and the Little Stint.
- Charadrius dubius
- Petit Gravelot
- Flussregenpfeifer
- Pivier pitschen
- Little Ringed Plover
- 15 cm
- 32–35 cm
