Kittlitz's plover is a small shorebird in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Delta and Madagascar. It is thought to be mainly polygamous and has monomorphic plumage.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar
Typical Environment
Widely distributed across much of Sub-Saharan Africa from West to East and into southern Africa, with populations also in the Nile Delta and Madagascar. It favors open shorelines of saline or alkaline lakes, coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks, and short-grass flats. Temporary pans and floodplains after rains are heavily used, and it often exploits man-made habitats such as saltworks and reservoirs. It avoids dense vegetation and selects open ground with good visibility. Nesting sites are typically near water on bare or sparsely vegetated substrates.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Kittlitz's plover is a small shorebird named after the German naturalist Friedrich von Kittlitz. It frequently breeds on open, sparsely vegetated shores and alkaline flats, and readily uses human-made habitats like salt pans. The species is largely monomorphic and is considered mainly polygamous, with flexible parental care. Like many plovers, it performs distraction displays to lure predators away from its nest scrape.
Illustration by Heinrich von Kittlitz, after whom the species is named
In the Maasai Mara, Kenya
Juvenile Kittlitz's plover in Madagascar
Typical cryptic nest of a Kittlitz's plover in Madagascar
Ringed Kittlitz's plover chick in Madagascar
Temperament
alert and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, fast dashes
Social Behavior
Often encountered singly or in pairs during breeding, but forms small loose flocks at favored feeding sites outside the breeding season. Nests are simple ground scrapes on open substrates near water. The species is mainly polygamous, and parental duties can be split, with adults leading precocial chicks soon after hatching. Displays include distraction and broken-wing acts to divert predators from nests.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are high, thin piping notes, often a repeated peep or wit call given in flight. Alarm calls are sharper and more insistent near the nest. Display calls can be a soft, rapid series of whistles during territorial interactions.
