The puna plover is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
Region
Andean Altiplano
Typical Environment
Found on high-elevation plateaus and intermontane basins of Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. It frequents saline and alkaline lakes, marshy edges, bofedales (high-Andean peat bogs), and nearby open puna grasslands. Breeding occurs on sparsely vegetated shores and salt flats with gravel and short turf. Outside the breeding season some birds disperse locally to lower Andean valleys and larger lakes while remaining within the highland zone.
Altitude Range
3200–4800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Puna plovers are high-Andes specialists adapted to thin air and cold, dry conditions on the Altiplano. They breed along saline and alkaline lakes, where their cryptic eggs and chicks blend with pebbly shorelines. Pairs share incubation and chick-rearing duties, and the birds often make short seasonal movements to slightly lower elevations in winter.
Temperament
alert and wary, but tolerant in loose groups
Flight Pattern
swift, low flights with rapid, shallow wingbeats
Social Behavior
Breeds solitarily or in loose colonies, with nests as shallow scrapes on gravelly or sandy shores. Pairs are monogamous during the breeding season and share incubation and brood care. Outside breeding, small flocks may form around productive lake margins.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft, piping whistles and thin peeps, often given in contact and alarm. During display, males may produce a slightly more rapid series of whistles while flying over the territory.
