Greater Sand Plover
The greater sand plover (Anarhynchus leschenaultii) is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is often given as "greater sandplover" or "greater sand-plover", but the official IOC and British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Greater Sand Plover". The specific leschenaultii commemorates the French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour. Like most other species in the genus Anarhynchus, it was until recently included in the genus Charadrius. == Distribution == It breeds in the semi-deserts of Turkey and eastwards through Central Asia, where it nests in a bare ground scrape. This species is strongly migratory, wintering on sandy beaches in East Africa, South Asia and Australasia. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe, where it has been recorded as far west as Iceland. It has been recorded three times in North America, the most recent being on 13 April 2025 in Biscay Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Last previous sighing in NA,14 May 2009 in Jacksonville, Florida. == Subspecies == There are three subspecies: A. l. leschenaultii, the nominate, in the east of the species' range in Mongolia and NW China. Bill intermediate; summer plumage with a weak orange breast band. A. l. scythicus, in the centre…
Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park
Thailand
+105 birds+18 mammals
Limestone karsts pierce an emerald sea, their weathered peaks rising abruptly from turquoise waters where mangrove forests cling to tidal […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKHat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park
Ao Nang, Thailand
+127 birds+21 mammals
Limestone cliffs plunge into emerald waters where mangrove forests crown the shoreline and coral gardens flourish beneath transparent shallows. This […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKhao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park
Mueang Rayong District, Thailand
+132 birds+30 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge into crystalline waters and coastal forests merge with rocky outcrops, a mosaic of Thailand’s most pristine […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBako National Park
Kuching, Malaysia
+112 birds+18 mammals
Weathered sandstone cliffs rise dramatically from the South China Sea, their ochre faces sculpted by millennia of wind and tide […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKuching Wetlands National Park
Kuching, Malaysia
+135 birds+21 mammals
Where brackish waters meet mangrove stilts and freshwater swamps blend into coastal mudflats, one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic wetland […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTaman Negara National Park
Kampong Samas, Malaysia
150+ birds+17 mammals
Where ancient rainforest meets limestone peaks, one of Southeast Asia’s oldest protected wilderness preserves sprawls across 4,343 square kilometers of […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTaman Negara Bukit Lambir National Park
Miri, Malaysia
+137 birds+15 mammals
Rainforest cascades down sandstone ridges where crystal streams carve through ancient geology, creating a landscape of profound biological richness in […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWest Bali National Park
Gerokgak, Indonesia
+142 birds+12 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge into crystalline waters and monsoon forests cling to volcanic slopes, Indonesia’s northwestern frontier reveals one of […]
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