About this species
The Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) (aka. Grey plover) is a large migratory shorebird that breeds in the high Arctic tundra of Eurasia and North America. Within the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), it breeds in Arctic Siberia and migrates through Central Asia to winter mainly along the coasts of the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula, while eastern populations migrate along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway and North American populations use the Americas Flyways. The species breeds in tundra with lichens, herbs, and low shrubs, and during migration and winter inhabits intertidal mudflats, estuaries, sandy beaches, coastal lagoons, and occasionally inland wetlands. It feeds primarily on polychaete worms, bivalves, crustaceans, and other invertebrates, often foraging on exposed mudflats during low tide and at night. Globally classified as Vulnerable, the species is threatened by the loss and degradation of coastal wetlands and intertidal habitats, human disturbance at key migratory and wintering sites, and the impacts of climate change on Arctic breeding habitats.
