Kentish Plover

The Kentish plover is a small wader weighing 40 to 44 g that breeds on the shores of saline lakes, lagoons and coasts, using sand dunes, marshes and semi-arid desert. Both sexes are pale with a white underside, grey-brown back, dark legs and a dark bill; the male also has dark, incomplete breast bands and dark marks on either side of the head. Its range covers North Africa, Central Asia and Europe, and some populations migrate while others, such as island ones, do not (Wikipedia, general species account).

It nests on the ground in a small scrape lined with shells, pebbles, grass and leaves, often at low, open, moist sites away from thick vegetation. It feeds mainly on arthropods and other invertebrates, using a run-and-stop method. Nationally Vulnerable (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012, listed as Charadrius alexandrinus; the genus name was changed later).