The two-banded plover is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Falkland Islands, and Uruguay.
Region
Southern South America
Typical Environment
Breeds in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands, using open gravelly shores, short grasslands, and saline or freshwater lake margins. Outside the breeding season it frequents coastal beaches, estuaries, and tidal flats in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. It also occurs on shingle and sand spits, saltmarsh edges, and occasionally inland wetlands. The species favors open, sparsely vegetated areas that allow good visibility for detecting predators.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A neat, compact shorebird named for its two contrasting breast bands, it breeds in southern South America and the Falkland Islands. After breeding, many birds shift north to milder coasts of Uruguay and southern Brazil. Nests are simple ground scrapes, and the downy chicks are precocial, leaving the nest soon after hatching.
Temperament
alert and wary
Flight Pattern
strong direct flight with rapid, shallow wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically monogamous in the breeding season, nesting on open ground in a shallow scrape lined with small stones. Both parents incubate and tend the chicks. Outside breeding, it often forms small loose flocks on beaches and estuaries.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Calls are soft, clear piping notes, often given in series, especially in flight. Alarm calls are sharper, quick 'pip' or 'weet' notes when intruders approach the nest.
Plumage
Smooth brownish-gray upperparts with clean white underparts and two distinct breast bands in breeding plumage. The upper band is rufous to chestnut, with a darker blackish band below; nonbreeding birds show fainter bands. A white forehead and supercilium contrast with a darker facial mask.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small invertebrates, including insects and their larvae, marine worms, small crustaceans, and mollusks. It forages by running and pausing, then pecking or brief probing into soft substrates. Diet shifts with habitat, taking more marine invertebrates on tidal flats and more terrestrial insects inland.
Preferred Environment
Intertidal mudflats, sandy or shingle beaches, and estuary edges during the nonbreeding season. On breeding grounds it uses lake shores, saline lagoons, and short turf or gravelly flats.
