Little Ringed Plover

The little ringed plover is a small plover of the Old World with mostly brown upperparts, a black neckband and a black mask round the eye with a noticeable yellow eye-ring. The forehead, belly and rest of the breast are white. It is migratory and breeds on open gravel areas near freshwater, such as gravel pits, islands and river edges, foraging on muddy ground mainly for insects and worms (Wikipedia, general species account).

Three subspecies are recognised; curonicus breeds across the Palearctic and winters in Africa and southern Asia, and jerdoni is listed for India to southeastern Asia. Nationally Vulnerable (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012, listed as Charadrius dubius).