Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus Linnaeus, 1758
Charadrius cantianus Lath.: Alleon, 1886: 417; Aegialitis alexandrinus L.: Reiser, 1894: 175.
Order Charadriiformes
Family Charadriidae
Conservation status: in Bulgaria: Critically endangered CR [A[2(a + c)] + C[1 + 2a]], BDA-III; International: BeC-II, BoC-II.
General distribution. A cosmopolitan species. In Europe it inhabits the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern Sea, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. There are internal continental populations of small numbers in Spain, Eastern Austria, Hungary and Vojvodina province in Serbia.
Distribution and abundance in Bulgaria. A breeding summer visitor and passage migrant. In the past it multiplied only along the Black Sea coast: the lakes Atanasovsko, Burgas, Mandrensko, Pomoriysko, Varna, Shabla and Durankulak, the Alepu Marsh and on the sand stripes in front of them [1]. In recent years the breeding population decreased 3-4 times and is already estimated at 60-80 pairs [2], found in 5 habitats: the lakes Atanasovsko [3,4], Pomoriysko [4,5] and Shabla [6] and the beaches in front of the town of Durankulak and the camping sites Krapets [4] and Zlatna Ribka – Gradina [4]. In the 1991 – 2002 period, the total numbers in the Burgas lakes were between 116 and 22 pairs breeding pairs [7]. During migration it is found in all water basins and the larger beaches along the Black Sea coast. Singular birds rarely remain to winter.
Habitats. Beaches, sand strips, islands and dunes, as well as shore brackish or salty lagoons and places for salt extraction.
Biology. It breeds separately and in thin colonies. The building of the nest is part of the courtship and starts from the end of March. The building material, dry stems of the Glasswort, mussel shells, feathers, dry mud, etc., are collected by it in the vicinity of the nest. The full clutch contains 3 eggs, rarely 4 or 2, that it lays at the beginning of April. The first young ones hatch in the middle of May, and non-flying young birds are found until the end of August [4]. It feeds on insects, small mussels, earthworms, water plants [8, 9].
Similar species. None.
Negative factors. Loss and degradation of habitats, disturbance by people, flooding of the basins for salt extraction in the lakes Atanasovsko and Pomoriysko, predators.
Conservation measures taken. Protected; included in the Red Data Book (1985) as a rare species. Most places where it breeds are declared protected territories; monitoring is carried out there.
Conservation measures needed. Study of the factors negatively influencing the numbers of the species; discussing measures for restoring its habitats and stabilizing its population.
References. 1. Nankinov, 1985; 2. Nankinov et al. 2004; 3. Dalakchieva, 2003; 4. Dalakchieva, 2004; 5. Ornithological Database, Green Balkans; 6. Ivanov, 1998; Dimitrov et al., 2005. 8. Prostov, 1964; 9. Nankinov et al. 1997.
Authors: Svetla Dalakchieva, IIliya Vatev
