The Four Keys to ID
- Size & Shape
A medium-sized shorebird with a rather large head, slim neck, long, pointed wings, and relatively long legs. The bill is short, slender, and straight.
Relative Size
Larger than a Killdeer, slightly smaller than a Black-bellied Plover.
between robin and crow
Measurements
- Both Sexes
- Length: 9.4-11.0 in (24-28 cm)
- Weight: 4.3-6.8 oz (122-194 g)
- Wingspan: 25.6-26.4 in (65-67 cm)
© Ian Davies / Macaulay Library
- Color Pattern
Breeding birds are gold-spangled above, blackish below, with a white “scarf” extending from brow to breast sides. Juveniles and nonbreeding birds still show some gold tones above but are dingy grayish below.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay Library - Behavior
American Golden-Plovers forage in typical plover fashion, running along and suddenly stopping to scan or seize prey. They form flocks in migration and on wintering grounds. Their flight is swift and direct.
- Habitat
Burned, plowed, and harvested agricultural fields, pastureland, sod farms, estuaries, mudflats, prairie, and tundra.
© Shailesh Pinto / Macaulay Library