Charadriiformes / Charadriidae / Anarhynchus
Greater Sand Plover
Anarhynchus leschenaultii · 铁嘴沙鸻
Introduction
A small wader in the plover family, formerly placed in the genus Charadrius. It breeds in semi-deserts from Turkey eastwards through Central Asia and is strongly migratory, wintering on sandy beaches in East Africa, South Asia, and Australasia.
Description
This chunky plover is 19–22 cm long, conspicuously long-legged and thick-billed. Breeding males have sandy buff backs, white underparts, a black eye mask, and variably orange breast, forehead, and nape. Females are duller and greyer; winter and juvenile birds are browner with a hint of rufous on the head. Legs are greenish-yellow and the bill is black. Subspecies vary in bill size and intensity of the orange breast band: A. l. columbinus has the smallest bill and strongest band; A. l. scythicus has the largest bill and moderate band; A. l. leschenaultii has an intermediate bill and weak band.
Identification
Very similar to Siberian sand plover and Tibetan sand plover. Separation is often based on size and structure, which is obvious in mixed wintering flocks but difficult for lone vagrants. The southwest Asian subspecies is most similar to the other two species due to its smaller bill. Flight call is a soft trill.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds in semi-deserts of Turkey and eastwards through Central Asia. Winters on sandy beaches in East Africa, South Asia, and Australasia. A rare vagrant in western Europe, recorded as far west as Iceland. Recorded three times in North America, including sightings in Jacksonville, Florida (14 May 2009) and Biscay Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador (13 April 2025). Three subspecies: A. l. leschenaultii (Mongolia, NW China), A. l. scythicus (Central Asia), and A. l. columbinus (SW Asia to central Turkey).
Behavior & Ecology
Feeds on insects, crustaceans, and annelid worms using a run-and-pause technique rather than steady probing. Nests in a bare ground scrape.
Conservation
One of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Charadriidae
- Genus
- Anarhynchus
Taxonomy Changes
Charadrius leschenaultii → Anarhynchus leschenaultii
Genus transfer — GBIF Backbone Taxonomy uses the former name; AviList 2025 uses the current name.
Subspecies (3)
-
Anarhynchus leschenaultii columbinus
breeds Türkiye eastward to Azerbaijan and Jordan; winters southeastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf
Data Sources
CBR Notes: 由Charadrius属移入Anarhynchus属（dos Remedios et al. 2015; Eaton et al. 2021）
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
