Little Ringed Plover
Charadrius dubius Scopoli, 1786
Aegialitis curonicus Gmel.: Elwes, Buckley, 1870: 386; Reiser, 1894: 175.
Order Charadriiformes
Family Charadriidae
Conservation status: in Bulgaria: Vulnerable VU [C[1+2ai]], BDA-III.
General distribution. A Palearctic species inhabiting Europe, Northern Africa and Asia. It winters in the north from 5° southern latitude, and also on peninsula Indostan, Indochina, China and Indonesia.
Distribution and abundance in Bulgaria. A breeding summer visitor, passage migrant and winter visitor. It is found near water basins in the low parts of the country. Along the Black Sea coast it breeds along all the beaches, close to fresh water in numbers between 100 and 130 pairs [1]. Along the Struma River, 258 pairs have been registered [2]. In the Sofia region it breeds along reservoirs and water basins, different in size [3]. In Central Bulgaria it is found along the rivers Maritsa, Dvoynitsa, Stryama, Sokolchitsa, Vacha, Kamchiya, etc. [4]. In the Eastern Rhodopes it has been registered along the rivers Krumovitsa, Elbasandere, Arda, Buyukdere and Byala Reka [5]. In Sakar Planina mountain it multiplies along small shallow rivers, there is a total of at least 12 pairs in the area [6]. In Northern Bulgaria it is found along the rivers Vit, Osam and Iskar, and near reservoirs and fish farms [7]. Along the river White Lom 2 pairs have been reported [8]. It multiplies along the banks of the Danube and most of its islands [7]. Its breeding population is between 1 500 and 2 000 pairs [9].
Habitats. Rivers, streams, permanent freshwater lakes, marshes and water basins, gravelly banks, sand bars, islands, dunes, city regions, regions for the storage of waste waters, canals, drainage canals, etc.
Biology. The formation of the pairs is at the end of March. Building the nests is in April. The young ones hatch at the end of May. It feeds on coleopterans and their larvae, larvae of caddisflies, worms, small mussels and seeds, etc. [10, 11].
Negative factors. Loss and degradation of habitats; disturbance by people; extraction of sand and gravel from the banks of water basins; predators; pollution of the waters; oil spills.
Conservation measures taken. Protected according to the Biological Diversity Act. Included in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria (1985). A small part of its breeding places are in protected territories.
Conservation measures needed. Monitoring of the distribution and the numbers of the breeding population on the territory of the whole country. Study of the biology and the ecology of the species. Declaration of Protected Territories in the sites with concentrations of breeding pairs (the beaches Dyuni, Zlatna Ribka, Shkorpilovtsi, etc.). Increasing the information level of the local population.
References. 1. Dalakchieva, 2004; 2 Darakchiev, Filipova, 1986; 3. Nankinov et al., 1998; 4. Ornithological Database – Green Balkans; 5. Iankov, 1986; 6. Borisov, 1988; 7. Shurulinkov et al. 2005; 8. Shurulinkov, Nikolov, 2005; 9. Nankinov et al. 2004; 10. Prostov, 1964; 11. Nankinov et al. 1997.
Authors: Svetla Dalakchieva, Iliya Vatev
