340 THE PLOVERS 



THE RINGED-PLOVERS 

 [W. FARREN] 



Of the two species of this group of plovers which nest in the 

 British Isles, one, the common ringed-plover, is resident on our coasts 

 during the whole year, and is one of the commonest and prettiest of 

 our shore birds ; while the other, the Kentish-plover, is a summer 

 migrant, rare and extremely local, nesting chiefly on the pebble 

 beach at Dungeness in Kent, and more rarely in one or two other 

 localities in Kent and Sussex, 



The ringed-plover is common throughout the year on the coasts 

 all round the British Isles, diminishing in number somewhat in winter 

 in the most northern parts. It is resident on suitable coasts in most 

 parts of the Continent, and is a summer visitor to Greenland and 

 other Arctic localities. On the other hand, the range of the Kentish- 

 plover is considerably more southern. The British localities men- 

 tioned above are, however, not its most northern limit, as it breeds 

 in South Sweden and Denmark. It is, however, more numerous 

 farther south, and is resident on the shores of the Mediterranean, in 

 South-western Europe, North Africa, and the adjacent groups 

 of islands. It is more partial to the shores of inland lakes and 

 rivers than is the ringed-plover. In winter both species have been 

 found as far south as Damara Land in Cape Colony. The Kentish- 

 plover also frequents many parts of Asia down to India and the 

 Malay Peninsula. A small race of the ringed-plover occurs in Central 

 Asia and also Northern Africa, moving down to the Cape in winter. 

 This small race visits the Norfolk and Kent coasts on the spring 

 migration, but although it was thought by Howard Saunders to breed 

 occasionally in the latter county, 1 Dr. Ticehurst has never been able 

 to identify it as doing so. 



1 Howard Saunders, Manual of British Birds, p. 539. 



