Grey Plover

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Uncommon bird: +3 points when you log it.

Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Estuaries, mudflats (winter).
Diet: Marine worms, molluscs.
Best time to spot: Sentinel of the tideline.

When to look

A winter visitor, typically in the UK from September through to April. Numbers peak in January. See the January birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Grey Plover sits in our Uncommon tier for the UK: regular, but you usually need the right place or the right season. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• European Golden PloverUncommon · Moorland (summer); fields (winter)
• American Golden PloverRare · Coastal turf (autumn passage)
• Pacific Golden PloverEpic · Coastal turf (very rare vagrant)
• Bar-tailed GodwitUncommon · Estuaries
• Common ShelduckUncommon · Estuaries
• Light-bellied Brent GooseUncommon · Mudflats (winter)

Kit that helps

Best spotting scopes for UK birding. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.