American Golden-Plover

The American Golden-Plover is a medium-sized shorebird, known for its striking plumage and remarkable migration pattern. In this blog post, we’ll explore the basic description of this bird, where to find it, its habitat and food preferences, as well as some cool facts.

Basic Description:
The American Golden-Plover measures around 9-10 inches in length and has a wingspan of 20-26 inches. This bird has a distinctive black face mask and dark underparts with white spots. Its back feathers are mostly brown with gold speckles, while the wings are pointed and greyish-brown in color.

Where To Find This Bird:
The American Golden-Plover can be found across North America during the breeding season (mainly on tundra habitats), from Alaska to Newfoundland. During winter months, these birds migrate southwards to South America’s grasslands.

Habitat:
During breeding season American Golden-Plovers live mainly on arctic tundras or open fields close to water sources like lakeshores or wet meadows. They prefer areas with short vegetation cover that permits them easy movement.

Food:
American golden-plovers have an omnivorous diet consisting of insects such as flies or beetles when they’re available but also eat snails worms etc., during migration seasons when food scarcity becomes an issue; they tend towards eating seeds instead.

Cool Facts:
1) The American Golden-Plover travels up to 25k miles every year along one of the world’s longest migratory routes.
2) These birds communicate through various calls varying from whistling sounds “tew-tew” to trilling notes “chirrrrr.”
3) A group of closely-related plovers is called a `congregation.’

In conclusion, if you happen upon one in your field guide do not hesitate because capturing sight of this fascinating avian creature can make even non-birders appreciate nature’s diversity. Whether you spot an American Golden-Plover during migration or in the tundra, take a moment to admire its beauty and wonder at the impressive journey it takes every year.