Anarhynchus thoracicus
The Madagascar Plover, *Anarhynchus thoracicus*, is a charmingly small shorebird, typically measuring 16-18 cm in length and weighing between 40-60 grams. Its distinguishing features include sandy-brown upperparts, pristine white underparts, and bright yellowish legs. Males are characterized by a prominent, complete black breast band, often reduced or incomplete in females and immatures, giving rise to its specific epithet 'thoracicus' which refers to the chest. A rufous wash on the nape and ...
This plover primarily inhabits coastal, semi-arid environments, favoring saline lagoons, mudflats, sandy beaches, and saltpans, often found at low elevations.
Their diet consists mainly of small terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, such as insects (e.g., beetles, fly larvae) and small crustaceans, gleaned from mudflats and sandy shores.
Madagascar Plovers are diurnal, foraging actively during daylight hours and roosting communally or solitarily on open ground near water. They employ a classic 'run-and-peck' foraging strategy, visually locating small invertebrates along the water's edge or on exposed mud. During the breeding seas...
The Madagascar Plover is entirely endemic to the island of Madagascar, with its distribution concentrated along the western and southern coasts, though sporadic records exist on the east coast. Its breeding range encompasses these coastal strips, extending inland slightly to include saline habita...
Near Threatened
- The Madagascar Plover is one of Madagascar's few endemic shorebirds, found nowhere else in the world. - Its scientific name, *thoracicus*, literally means 'of the chest,' referring to the distinctive black breast band. - This plover is highly adapted to saline environments, often found in saltp...