American golden plover

Measurements: • Length: • Weight: • Wingspan: The breeding adult American golden plover has a black face, neck, breast, and belly, with a white crown and nape that extends to the side of the breast. The back is mottled black and white with pale, gold spots. The breeding female is similar, but with less black. When in , both sexes have grey-brown upperparts, pale grey-brown underparts, and a whitish eyebrow. The head is small, along with the bill. It is similar to two other golden plovers, European and Pacific. The American golden plover is smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged than European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) which also has white axillary (armpit) feathers. It is more similar to Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva) with which it shares grey axillary feathers; it was once considered conspecific under the name "lesser golden plover". ==Distribution==

The breeding habitat of American golden plover is Arctic tundra in northern Canada (Baffin Island west to Yukon and northernmost British Columbia) and Alaska. They nest on the ground in a dry open area. They are migratory and winter in southern South America. They follow an elliptical migration path; northbound birds pass through Central America from January to April A comparison of dates and migratory patterns leads to the conclusion that Eskimo curlews and American golden plovers were the most likely shore birds to have attracted the attention of Christopher Columbus to the nearby Americas in early October 1492, after 65 days at sea out of sight of land. ==Behaviour==

Breeding This bird uses scrape nests, lining them with lichens, grass, and leaves. At its breeding grounds, it is very territorial, displaying aggressively to neighbours. Some American golden plovers are also territorial in their wintering grounds. The American golden plover lays a clutch of four white to buff eggs that are heavily blotched with both black and brown spots. The eggs generally measure around . These eggs are incubated for a period of 26 to 27 days, with the male incubating during the day and the female during the night. The chicks are on hatching, leaving the nest within hours and feeding themselves within a day. insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, fish, berries and seeds. ==Status==

Large numbers were shot in the late 19th century and the population has never fully recovered. ==Gallery==

Americangoldie39.jpg|Feigning injury to protect its chicks, showing its mottled black-and-gold back; August, Alaska. Pluvialis dominica 228355544.jpg|Fresh juvenile on fall migration, September, Toronto. American Golden Plover (25878377503).jpg|First-summer birds on spring migration can get very worn and dull, without the usual mottled plumage; April, Creve Coeur, Missouri. Pluvialis dominica eggs and nest.jpg|Scrape nest with four eggs; Nome, Alaska. ==References==