Common Ringed Plover

Distribution, movements and phenology

The Common Ringed Plover breeds predominantly from the Arctic (from North-eastern Canada eastwards to Eastern Siberia) to the temperate regions of Western Europe, between late March and August (Delany et al. 2009). In Portugal, birds are found originating from most breeding areas, notably Canada (Léandri-Breton et al. 2019), Iceland (Thorisson et al. 2012), Norway (Lislevand et al. 2017) and Western Europe (Taylor 1980). During the migratory passages, birds that winter mainly in Africa predominate, although a proportion of individuals remain in Portugal throughout the winter, notably those that breed in Western Europe (Catry et al. 2010a) and Iceland (Fletcher 2022). Passages are pronounced during summer and early autumn, being less evident in spring (Catry et al. 2010a). In Mainland Portugal, the Common Ringed Plover is most common in estuarine areas and coastal lagoons, but also occurs along the entire coastline. In the Azores and Madeira, it occurs mainly along the coastlines of all the islands, associated with beaches, natural pools and artificial structures such as harbours and marinas, and may also be observed in inland grasslands.

Abundance and population trends

The global population has been estimated at between 480,000 and 600,000 individuals, with a stable trend (Wetlands International 2025). In January, the population present in Mainland Portugal is around 3,500 individuals, of which about 300 are found on the sandy and rocky beaches of the coast (Lecoq et al. 2013). Population trends in this region are not very clear and may be related to local effects. Whilst, for example, the Sado estuary shows a decline in the number of individuals occurring there (Belo et al. 2023), the opposite has been observed in the Tagus estuary (Lourenço et al. 2018) and along the non-estuarine coast (Lecoq et al. 2013). Despite these discrepancies, the Mainland population has generally achieved Good Environmental Status. In the Azores, although information on abundance and population trends is scarce, this population also appears to have achieved Good Environmental Status, unlike the situation observed in Madeira.

Ecology and habitat

Common Ringed Plovers are found mainly in the large coastal wetlands of Mainland Portugal. They prefer areas with sandy sediments, although they also use mudflats (Moreira 1993; Granadeiro et al. 2004). On the non-estuarine Mainland coast (Lourenço et al. 2013) and on the islands, they are mainly associated with rocky substrates. The diet consists of small invertebrates (Billerman et al. 2026), with polychaetes and insects associated with marine or coastal habitats being of particular importance to the birds found in Portugal (Pedro & Ramos 2009; Rocha et al. 2017).

Threats and conservation

Globally, pollution and land-use change are the main threats to feeding and roosting sites during migration and wintering (BirdLife International 2025). In Portugal, no specific threats are known, although disturbance at feeding and roosting sites may potentially have some negative impact on the wintering population.

Autor

Nuno Oliveira