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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov. 16, 2014: American Golden Plover

 

The American Golden Plover is a stunning bird.  The face and belly are jet black with a pure white strip running from the forehead, around the back of the face and down the neck.  The back of the bird is a mottled pattern of black, white and gold.   The overall effect is lovely.

It is a fairly common bird, and you have a good chance of seeing it during spring and fall while they are on migration.   They fly to south Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil for the winter.

PL1-2

The problem is, they change colours in the winter from their beautiful breeding plumage to a dull grey winter plumage.  I photographed these birds in the Arctic in July.   By the time they get to central Canada, they are totally grey with no trace of their summer colours.  So, if you really want to see the American Golden Plover in all its glory, you will have to travel to the Arctic.

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Images (2)
  • Golden Plover L cs (11): Summer
  • PL1-2: Winter

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