The white-faced plover (Anarhynchus dealbatus) is a small shorebird predominantly found along the coastal shores of subtropical and tropical eastern Asia.[2] Initially described by British ornithologist
Robert Swinhoe, the bird resembles the east Asian subspecies of the
Kentish plover (Anarhynchus a. nihonensis) with which it has been much confused[3]
and sometimes considered to be a
subspecies.[4]
However, the White-faced Plover is now acknowledged as a distinct species by prominent international checklists,[6][7] aligning with the recommendations based on recent genetic,[8] ecological,[9] and demographic[10] findings.
Description
The white-faced plover grows to a length of about 17 cm (6.7 in). It has a rounded head with a white fore-crown and a white
supercilium. The crown is pale rufous brown upper parts are pale brownish-grey. The hind collar, throat and underparts are white. The beak and legs are dark and the tail short. Compared to the rather similar
Kentish plover, it has a thicker, blunter beak, white
lores, paler crown and upperparts, less black on the lateral breast patches and a larger white wingbar.[5]
Distribution and habitat
This bird is found along a wide seaboard area of southern China and adjacent northern Vietnam ; its wintering range extends south across eastern
Indochina towards
Sumatra. It typically inhabits sandy beaches, mudflats and saltpans, and outside the breeding season visits reclaimed areas.[5]
Ecology
The diet of this bird has been little studied but is presumed to be similar to that of the Kentish plover which feeds on small invertebrates such as insects and their larvae, spiders, molluscs, crustaceans and marine worms. It feeds on the foreshore, searching visually for prey then dashing forward to catch the prey or probing the substrate with its beak.[11] Its breeding habits are not known.[5]
^
abcddel Hoyo, J.; Collar, N.; Kirwan, G.M.; Sharpe, C.J.
"White-faced Plover (Charadrius dealbatus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
^Wiersma, P.; Kirwan, G.M.; Boesman, P.
"Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 19 December 2019.