Tibetan sand plover
Charadrius atrifrons
kenbehrens · Udawalawe National Park
Key facts in one look
- Diet
- Insects, crustaceans, worms
- Status in Georgia
- Very rare, casual visitor
- Size
- Medium-sized plover; about 67 g
- Habitat
- High mountain plateaus; sea coasts in winter
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2023); Georgia NE
The Tibetan sand plover (Charadrius atrifrons) breeds in the Pamirs, the Tian Shan, on the Tibetan Plateau and in southern Mongolia, and winters on the sea coasts of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In Georgia it is a very rare, casual visitor. There are two known sightings, both in September: single birds near Poti, at Maltakva on the shore, in 2014 and 2017. In summer it has a black mask through the eye and a pale orange breast. It is not dangerous to people. It is very easily confused with the greater sand plover, so if you see one, be sure to photograph it.
Identification
Tibetan sand plover: how to identify it
A medium-sized plover with a pale throat, a brown back and white underparts. In summer it has a black mask through the eye and a pale orange breast and neck. In every plumage it is very like the greater sand plover, so check several features together.
The adult in summer has a black mask through the eye and a pale orange breast and neck. The back is brown, the throat pale and the underparts white. Males are on average paler than females.
Winter birds and juveniles are pale brown above and white below. They show a varying amount of white on the forehead. In this plumage the orange and the black mask are gone, so then look at the shape and the legs.
It is usually slightly smaller than the greater sand plover, with a shorter bill and darker legs. The white wing bar is more even. A lone bird is still hard to identify, so take a photo if you can.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
It breeds on the high plateaus of Asia: in the Pamirs, the Tian Shan, on the Tibetan Plateau and in southern Mongolia. On the Tibetan Plateau its nests have been studied at Qinghai Lake, at about 3200 m. It winters on sea coasts, from eastern and southern Africa and the Middle East to South, East and Southeast Asia. In Georgia it is a very rare, casual visitor. On 3–4 September 2014 and on 18–24 September 2017 a single bird was seen near Poti, at Maltakva on the Black Sea shore. No other sighting from Georgia is known.
The Tibetan sand plover map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. No region has enough records yet.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Photo record
- Region with records
Little is known about its diet on its own. Its close relative, the Siberian sand plover, feeds on insects, crustaceans and worms and hunts by running and stopping suddenly. The greater sand plover hunts in the same way.
It is a migrant: it breeds in high mountains and spends the winter on southern sea coasts. Now and then it strays as far as western Europe. In Georgia it has been seen only in September, during the autumn migration. At Qinghai Lake the breeding season is short, from mid-May to late June. Pairs stay together, and both parents care for the eggs. Of 57 nests studied there, chicks hatched in only 18, and a lost nest cannot be replaced within the season.
Globally the Tibetan sand plover is listed as Least Concern (LC, 2023). Its numbers are falling, especially in the east of its range: in India in 2022 it was 76% below its pre-2000 level. In its wintering areas it is squeezed by the loss of coastal habitat, hunting, aquaculture, pollution and coastal development. The Pamir subspecies makes up more than half of the whole population, and its numbers look stable on incomplete data. In the 2021 assessment for the Red List of Georgia it was not evaluated (NE). The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a casual bird that turns up irregularly. Two sightings are known here, both near Poti on the sea shore.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes, but very rarely. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a casual bird that turns up irregularly. Two sightings are known, both in September, in 2014 and 2017, near Poti, at Maltakva.
It and the Siberian sand plover used to be treated as one species, the "lesser sand plover". A 2022 genetic study showed that the two groups are different species. So in older books you will find it under the name Charadrius mongolus.
It is a medium-sized plover with a brown back, white underparts and a pale throat. In summer it has a black mask through the eye and a pale orange breast. In winter these colours disappear and the bird becomes pale brown above.
It is usually slightly smaller, with a shorter bill and darker legs, and its white wing bar is more even. Single birds of either species are hard to identify. In Georgia the greater sand plover is much commoner, so you need a photo to confirm the rare one.
It breeds on the high plateaus of the Pamirs, the Tian Shan, Tibet and southern Mongolia. It winters on the sea coasts of Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia. It passes through Georgia only exceptionally.
It is harmless to people. Globally it is listed as Least Concern (LC, 2023), but in the east of its range its numbers are falling fast. In Georgia it has not been evaluated (NE). If you meet one, watch it from a distance and do not flush it.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
