Little ringed plover

Charadrius dubius

General information. The little ringed plover is a rarely seen plover in Vaasa, thriving almost exclusively in built up areas. It is a migratory species, arriving in Vaasa in April, with the autumn migration mainly taking place in August. Juvenile birds are the last ones to leave the country. Nesting takes place during May-July and the young usually hatch around mid June. The little ringed plover has an exceptional camouflage and easily evades detection from inexperienced bird watchers.

• Length 16 cm
• Nests on the ground in gravel areas
• Winters in the eastern Mediterranean and east Africa
• Feeds on insects, spiders, worms

Habitat. The species nests in various undisturbed terrain areas such as landfills, rock deposits, gravel pits and harbor areas. The nesting site should preferably be in proximity to small water bodies remaining damp throughout the nesting season or a pond, as the little ringed plover forages for food on muddy areas. In Vaasa, habitats are found in proximity to built up areas.

Distribution in Vaasa. In Vaasa, a total of about 20 nesting sites were observed during the survey field work. They were mostly found in landfill- and industrial areas and open areas of marginal land. Such suitable areas can be found, for example, in Vaskiluoto, around the Onkilahti lake, the Suvilahti landfill area and the Vaasa airport.