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STUDY REPORT First Sighting Record of Greater Sand ( Leschenaultii ) in Vidharbha Region of Maharashtra

Shishir M Shendokar* and Rutuja Kukde

Wildlife and Environment Conservation Society, 42, Green park colony, Shegaon road, Amravati, Maharashtra, India.

Abstract The ( Charadrius leschenaultii ) is long distance

migrant shore . It was sighted at Kumbhari reservoir near Akola, *Corresponding Author: Maharashtra during study of Back migrating bird. The sighting of shore Shishir M Shendokar bird is not common in inland water bodies for the region of Vidharbha. This sighting is not common for region further we conclude this bird is as Email: [email protected] Vagrant or Passage migrant towards south India and Further west, moving through Bangladesh between February and April and elsewhere in southern Asia, mid-April to early May. Received: 04/04/2017 Accepted: 09/06/2017 Keywords: Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii , Sighting

record of Greater Sand Plover.

The Greater Sand Plover ( Charadrius leschenaultii ) reported from eastern Asia, including Japan, Taiwan and is a medium size brown and white plover, larger and lankier Hainan (Marchant and Higgins, 1993). They are usually than ( Charadrius mongoius ), with longer present in New Guinea between mid-August and early May, and larger bill, usually with pronounced gonys and more though mainly between late August and late April or early pointed tip (longer than distance between bill base and rear of May (Bishop, 2006; Coates, 1985; Hicks, 1990). start eye). Longer legs are paler, with distinct yellowish or arriving back at the breeding grounds in mid-March, with greenish tinge. In flight, feet project noticeably beyond tail, most returning in April and May (Dement'ev and Gladkov, has more pronounce dark sub-terminal band to tail, has 1951; Wiersma, 1996). broader white wing bar across primaries (Grimmett, 2013). In On the date of 26 May 2015 at Kumbhari Reservoir breeding , the male has a grey-brown crown and (2040’08.9”N 7704’38.9”E) while studying back migrating nape with a pale chestnut tinge, and a chestnut hind neck and birds at 01015 hr in a hot day seen large and heighted plover sides of neck; the rest of the upperparts are pale grey-brown, like birds foraging in grass far (200 ft) from wetland I with Rufus edges to the feathers which impart a slightly approach towards the bird but it flew from another place near scaled appearance, white sides of the rump and upper tail- to mudflats then I approached again slowly and took a record coverts, and the tail has a blackish-brown sub-terminal band. shot, I tried to identified it but I couldn’t because I had never In non-breeding plumage, birds differ from breeding plumage seen this bird before at inland water source. I took help of by lacking black and chestnut plumage, being replaced by field guide and expert opinion it was identified as Greater grey-brown; and they develop a broad white supercilium, Sand Plover adult in non breeding plumage. Then I searched concolorous with the white forehead (Marchant and Higgins, for publications and sighting records of this bird in the avian 1993; Stewart et al., 2007). fauna of Vidarbha, but there was no published record found Most other non-breeding areas are along the shores of in the region, hence this is first sighting record of Greater the Indian Ocean, including in the Indian subcontinent and Sand Plover for Vidarbha but out of Vidhrbha in Pune and the Middle East, and especially in eastern and southern Africa adjacent part of couple of sighting records are on the dated 29 (Cramp and Simmons, 1983; Grimmett et al., 1999; Urban et Jan 2015 at Veer dam, Pune by Pawar and Rahane and on the al., 1986; Wiersma, 1996). The Greater Sand Plover is Dated 10 April 2015 at Bigwan, Pune by Chawane and gregarious during the non-breeding season, when it occurs in Prabhulkar (eBird Range Map- Greater Sand Plover). This flocks, sometimes comprising up to several hundred birds, sighting is not common for region further we conclude this often with other shorebirds, especially the Lesser Sand Plover bird is as Vagrant or Passage migrant towards south India and (Charadrius mongolus ), though the two usually Further west, moving through Bangladesh between February remain segregated when roosting with one another (Marchant and April (Islam, 2006), and elsewhere in southern Asia, mid- and Higgins, 1993; Stewart et al., 2007). April to early May (Wiersma, 1996). Birds arriving back at Greater Sand breed in central Asia: in the the breeding grounds in mid-March, with most returning in northern Gobi Desert of Mongolia and adjacent areas of April and May (Dement'ev and Gladkov, 1951; Wiersma, southern Siberia (south of Lake Baikal in the Altai 1996). It is not considered to be globally threatened Mountains, Tuva Republic); Breeding has been incorrectly

Journal of Wildlife Research | April-June, 2017 | Volume 05 | Issue 02 | Pages 28-29 © 2017 Jakraya Shendokar and Kukde… First Sighting Record of Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius Leschenaultii) in Vidharbha Region of Maharashtra

(Wiersma, 1996), and is classified as being of least concern (Birdlife International, 2007).

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Journal of Wildlife Research | April-June, 2017 | Volume 05 | Issue 02 | Pages 28-29 © 2017 Jakraya 29